Chronicles Of The Vampire Kingdom
by ArtGuru
Summary: Many dimensions were formed by a dark source in Mobious's own universe, but one such dimension suffered colossal damage and was said to even had been one with Mobious itself once. It could have been peaceful, but one such evil born in Mobious itself had doomed it from the beginning. Mephiles The Dark.
1. Prologue

Fox Clan was a clan of mystery, ruled by the kind princess Philomena, and her younger brother, Osairus. Philomena was a golden colored fox with radiant green eyes. She wore a pretty, flowing dress and a necklace with the fox clan symbol on it. The villagers respected her and loved her like a queen. But her brother did not earn such respect. He was born with a coat of dark blue fur, almost black, and red eyes. He didn't really show his jealousy. It was a peaceful and quiet tribe, until a certain mouthless hedgehog showed up of course. Philomena became suspicious of this creature, and sensed something terrible was going to happen. It went on for several years though, and over that time she had married and had one child, Talon. He was a well-behaved and sweet boy, which only hurt Philomena much more when she had heard her husband had been slaughtered by a werewolf in the forest. She didn't know what to say. But she had no time to figure it out, since lately some murders had been occurring inside the tribe. She suspected the hedgehog but had no evidence. She then thought of a solution, something her grandmother had told her in a fable once. There were two powerful gemstones in the distant wood, one black, one white. The white one possessed pure light. The black one? Nothing but evil, hatred, and darkness. Then, an idea popped into her head. "That's it! I'm gonna go and find those gems, and protect my kingdom from any more danger!" she cried out. So she packed her things, and went to her brother, hesitantly, "Osy, listen, what I'm asking of you is simple, just make sure no one else gets murdered and nothing gets broken or destroyed while I'm out, and don't take advantage of your power, and make sure you take care of Talon. Feed him chocolate milk, not regular, applesauce at noon today and tomorrow, and make sure-" "Sis, I got this! Go on your little adventure!" Philomena sighed in frustration, he never took anything seriously. She left anyways, assuring her people she would return shortly and set off for the deep jungle that surrounded the tribe. Her travel during the day was easier than night, but bad things would happen every-so-often. The first night, she was trying to make a campfire, but it was difficult to do in the damp jungle. She finally got one lit, but it was blown away by a wind. Or so she thought. She saw a shadow in the darkness pass by, and her pulse started rushing. She heard a dark chuckle, but nothing else had happened. She sighed, and went to bed. The next night she was creeping along the woods, fearful of animals that hunted down her kind. The animals were called Raccats, they were rats that flew around with bat like wings, and tended to eat members of Fox Clan. As Philomena walked, she heard a screeching that sounded that the raccats were near, ducking low, she saw one walked by. They were taller than what she had imagined in stories and legends. She heard the dark chuckle again, but kept down. It went on like this for another couple of days, until she came to a cave. She took a flashlight out of her camping bag and started exploring the dark yet damp cave. Her flashlight beam didn't go more than a few feet into the darkness, but she pressed on. She saw two glows in the darkness eventually, one dim, the other brighter. She stepped forward, and in the wall were hieroglyphics and in the middle two gemstones, one white the other black. She took them both out and sighed in relief as no traps appeared to be set off. Or so she thought. She turned around and put them away in her bag, only for the whole cave to start shaking and rumbling. She panicked and ran to the entrance as large rocks started to fall. Philomena dived just in time to get out of the cave before a larger boulder collapsed and blocked the entrance of the cave. She got up and dusted herself off, and headed off for the kingdom. She got back late one night, but when she opened the door, there sat her son with his blanket. "Talon, what are you doing up so late?" she asked. "I couldn't sleep… I-I had a nightmare" Talon whimpered. She smiled mercifully, and sighed, "It's okay sweetie, come on, you can sleep with me tonight." "Yay…!" She took her son upstairs and did as she promised. She got up the next morning, and started going to work. She started making seven other gemstones with both half of the black emeralds power and half of the whites. They each had a different color, red, orange, yellow, purple, green, pink, and blue. Once she finished, she went out to inform her people of the good news. They cheered and congratulated her, but she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, and, much to the ignorance of her own people, was the only one to see her little brother. He scowled at her and ran off. "Osy, wait!" But it was too late. He was gone. She sighed. "Maybe he'll just forget about this tomorrow." She headed to bed early that night. Osairus was in his room, angered by what he had seen. It's not fair! I kept the kingdom safe and no one cheers me on! he thought. "Indeed...it isn't fair is it?" His ears flicked up, he glanced up at his ceiling to see what looked like black goo. He went to the mirror, but his reflection shriveled into blackness, and turned into what looked like that hedgehog that had arrived not too long ago. "You? What're you doing here?" he asked. "Oh, I just noticed how your sister was being congratulated while you...were outcasted despite doing your part. It seems like your people don't know their place. You are a prince after all." Osairus felt uneasy about this, yet, he agreed with this hedgehog. No one ever wanted to be around him, no one ever even said hello, not even his own nephew. He scowled, "What's your point?" The hedgehog glanced away for a moment, "I can help make you powerful. Make your people know what it truly means to be outcasted." Osairus thought really hard about this cretin's words. He never got respect, and he wanted it. He needed it. He deserved it. He nodded, "What do I have to do?" The hedgehog pointed behind him, at the door, "Just down the hall in your sister's room is two more emeralds that she had collected on her journey. One is white, the other is black, find the black one, and bring it here. I shall help you absorb it's power, and you can take care of the rest." Osairus smirked as his fake reflection disappeared and his true one reappeared in the mirror. He would show his sister and his kingdom once and for all what it's like to be treated like a loser. Like dust. Philomena had awoken the next morning to one of her servants shouting, followed by screaming and rumbling. She glanced up, seeing her servant, "Harmony! What's wrong?! Is there an earthquake?!" Her servant shook her head, "Tis your brother madam! He has gone mad! He stole the dark emerald and is using it's power to destroy the temple!" Philomena got up in panic, as her child ran in, terrified. She hugged her scared offspring and assured him it would be alright, picking him up. She handed him to Harmony, "Take him down into the dungeon area, he'll be safer there." "O-Of course your highness!" Philomena ran off, but Talon tried reaching for his mother, but it was no use. He screamed and cried but was dragged down to the dungeons. He became even more frantic and started to get desperate. He bit Harmony's hand, making her drop him, and he ran off. Meanwhile Philomena grabbed the other emeralds, including the white one and headed outside to confront her brother. "OSAIRUS!" she screamed. Her brother turned to look at her, but he was different. He looked much older, and he wore a dark red cape, "Ah, sister! Come to witness my coronation I see!" She scowled, "Osy! I am warning you! If you do not stop, I shall have no choice but to-" but she was cut off as she had to dodge a black ball of energy nearly hitting her. She glanced up at her brother, insanity and hatred in his eyes. This was not the little brother she knew. "Osy, please! I'm begging you! I don't want to do this!" He chuckled, "You truly are a fool, and a coward! You can't stop me even if you get the guts to do it!" She tried to fight him off, but it wasn't working. He finally threw another ball of black energy at her, but she dodged it again, only this time, it hit someone else. She heard a familiar but hoarse voice whimper, "M-Ma…" Her ears flicked up and she saw her little son, Talon, against rock horribly wounded. She rushed to her child, but only to find she could not possibly heal him. He had bled too much already. He smiled up at her, and she began to sing…

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

 _You make me happy when skies are grey_

 _You never know dear, how much I love you_

 _Please don't take my sunshine...away…_

She sobbed as her son shut his eyes and stopped breathing. Her bangs acted as a curtain over her eyes as her brother approached her. "Heh, weak. What do our people see in you? Or should I say my people now that your services are no longer needed." She suddenly stopped crying and remained silent for a few brief moments. "You know not what you have done brother…" she growled. A white glow formed around her and her bangs flowed off her eyes, revealing them to be completely white as well. She set her child's lifeless body down and stood up, turning towards her sibling, "You are not my brother. You are not a true prince nor king. And you do not belong here!" The glow became brighter as her brother backed away. "STAY BACK!" he screeched, trying to fight off his sister, but to no avail. She casted magic upon him, sealing him inside the emerald he had stolen, but in turn, had to seal herself away in the white emerald. Both fell to the ground and their people stepped up, half cheerful that it was over, but also half concerned, for now their ruler was gone. And her son, was dead, no one was left to rule. Fortunately though, there were some distant cousins who lived in the jungle. And as their family rights claimed, the power must go to the closest possible family, and seeing as though all others were gone, they had no choice but to hand the power over to the cousins in hopes it would not turn out disastrous. They kept all nine emeralds in safe keeping, and all was peaceful for many years.


	2. The Start Of A New Rule

Gorse was different from others, very different in fact. For he was born a prince of darkness. He knew not how to contain his powers, and many chaotic incidents would happen every-now-and-then. Like a spider in a girl's hair, a bunny in a punch bowl, even tentacles shooting from the pond. Black, and lethal.

His father couldn't get it under control, and blamed his wife. He divorced his spouse and married another. She was a sweet little lady, she made glasses for her stepson that somehow kept his powers under control.

All went quiet after that. He even gained a brother, Ganer. Gorse didn't get along with him too well, as he had to keep him in check with his power.

Ironically, he became drawn to his powers after he was forced to wear the glasses. He tried constantly to take them off, only to be foiled by his brother. It went on like this for years, until Rick grew tired of his place in ruling.

He was speaking with one of his lesser servants, "Y'know Steven, I'm getting rather bored here. If only there was some way to get out of this rathole, I don't feel like waiting till one of my sons takes power."

His servant nervously gulped, "W-Well sire...y-you could just-"

Rick suddenly flicked his ears up and snapped his fingers, "I got it! Steven, tell my sons to pack their things! I have to go arrange a meeting!"

Steven starred off as his king ran out. He sighed, he knew this wouldn't be good. He went and did as he was commanded though. He did not want to end up beheaded for insubordination.

Meanwhile, Rick headed out to the jungle. He had heard a rumour that if you looked hard enough, you'd find the hideout of an assassin. A group of them some would say. He kept walking, but suddenly heard a creaking sound each step further he took.

He thought about turning back, but it was too late already, as the ground fell out beneath him causing him to plunge down into darkness. He tumbled and took a nasty fall once he hit ground again, and looked up to see a man in black.

The man grabbed him by the fur on his chest and held a dagger to his neck.

"Aye, fresh meat. Royal meat too." The man said with a sneer.

Rick threw his hands up into the air, "I've come to make a deal!"

The man looked at him carefully, "That so mate? What kind of deal?"

Rick chose his words carefully before speaking, "I've come to ask you to do a job for me. I have plenty to pay you, I just need you to do what you do best. There's a wedding tomorrow, and I think it'd be fair for you to start there."

The man smirked and let go of the white fox. "Hmm, depends. How much money we talkin'?"

"One thousand quid." he replied.

The man scowled, "Oy, not one thousand, I want two thousand!"

"One thousand!"  
"Two thousand!"  
"One thousand!" Rick yelled.  
"Two thousand!" The man exclaimed.

"One thousand five hundred." Rick suddenly said.

"Wait, what?" The man shook his head and growled, "I want two thousand you bloke and no less!"

Rick started getting irritated with this guy. Just who did he think he was?

"You'll get one thousand and no more!"

"Hmm, how about this...how much of that kingdom you want gone?" The assassin asked.

Rick thought for a moment, "I'd say about...all of it."

The man smirked, "Then I'll need some extra if not two thousand. How about one thousand plus another five hundred for the rest of the place?"

Rick smirked. Now that was a deal he couldn't refuse, "Alright. I'm heading out tonight, so just be mindful not to mention me."

The rest of the night went smoothly for him and his sons of course, as they headed out around midnight. But the next day was full of fear and terror for the Fox Clan inhabitants.

A wedding was just getting started when suddenly all the windows were shot through and broken at once. Everyone realized it as soon as they saw it, they were under attack.

They tried to escape, but it was hopeless. The attackers left no one alive, or so they thought. There was one little girl who had escape their grasp. The girl was known as Flare.

She was a sweet little girl, but that day, she was changed into something else. She hid with her friends, Harmony, Tap, Neon, Berry, and Melody. They were all scared, terrified even as they found that their king had deserted them. It was during all this that Rick was constantly pestered with questions by his children. He never truly answered them.

They kept moving for days and nights and eventually made it to a exceedingly foggy town. Rick and his sons looked around, but Ganer thought he saw something.

"What's that?!" He yelped.

It just turned out to be a few people in dirty, brown and slightly torn cloaks shambling on either side of them. They stopped dead in their tracks as they all turned to look straight at them.

Ganer started to get nervous, Gorse just scowled menacingly at the approaching strangers. They all stood there just staring for a few brief moments. Then all the tension broke when they started cheering.

"The king! The king! The long lost king has returned! It's as the prophecy foretold!" The people yelled.

Rick was utterly confused was at this point, but kept listening.

"He's returned!"

"Oh great and wondrous king, we welcome you back!"

"I can't believe it!"

"He's here! He's really here!"

Rick smirked, perhaps he could use this to his advantage. He had them take him to their castle, it was old and cracked as well as everything else of course, and many fortunes left behind.

He used some of these fortunes to pay for all the damages and renewed the whole town. Ganer was still very nervous, and seemed uneasy about lying to the people of this town.

"Ganer, come on now. Look at how happy they all are!" his brother said, attempting to cheer him.

"Happy? You mean foolish? I can't stand lying like this, and the fact father is being so vague about why we had to leave-" Gorse slapped his hand over his brother's mouth.

"Yeah yeah yeah, listen, you gotta just shut up and do what dad says, or we're gonna get in some serious shit. Got it?" Ganer nodded, but he would have shook his head in his mind.

They went to school their father had invested in the next day.

"Just try to act natural." Gorse commanded.

But that lasted all but a second as tons of girls were swooning over them both.

"Oh yeah. We're probably lookin' real natural right about now." Ganer scowled at his ignorant brother.

But the girls suddenly fled as yelling was heard, "Yeah, y'all get yo skinny asses outta here!"

It was a peppy looking owl before them, who had scared off the hoard of girls.

"Y'all okay? Looked like a nightmare in there." The girl asked.

Gorse rolled his eyes, "More like a dream till you showed u-"

Ganer jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow.

He held it for a moment but whimpered out, "I mean...yes, thanks…!" He fell to the floor and passed out.

Ganer smirked, "Name's Ganer, that's my older brother, Gorse." he said.

The owl smiled, "Mary. Mary Lou. I run the guard for the forest or the patrol so to speak. I live just outside of town, you should come over sometime."

She took off just as the bell rang, and Ganer groaned. The only downside to pulling that move on his brother was he had to drag him to the nurse now.

And of course, he had no idea where that was. But he managed anyways. It was at lunch they met everyone else they needed to know.

Nightshade "Dark" The Wolf, a gray wolf with a strange design on his bangs that earned him the nickname. Dark had a history for his slight anger issues but nothing major.

His girlfriend, Aleena, a sweet soul who showed concern every once in a while was normally next to him and would talk your ear off if you got on the right subject.

Christopher, a fox who was kind of known for his bad grades.

And they learned Mary Lou was of course the peppy one of the group.

But Ganer set his eyes on a girl who was seemingly elegant. Gannetta.

Gorse knocked him in the back of the head to snap him out of his day dreaming, "Earth to Ganer, wake up!" Gorse said.

Ganer shook his head rapidly to snap out of it.

"And this is Neko!" Mary said.

Gorse glanced but didn't see anybody else, "Uhh...who?" he asked.

A small lemur climbed up on the table, he was wearing large lion-like gloves and had a soda, "Hey everybody! Whao! It's prince Gorse and prince Ganer!"

Ganer looked at the rat-like creature in confusion, but clarified, "Oh, no, I'm not a prince, I advocated a long time ago, I just live with them."

Neko studied the two carefully, "Hmm, a bit taller than I expected, but still awesome!"

Gorse smirked, he liked the lemur, and he knew he was going to have lots of fun at this school. Ganer saw that, and elbow jabbed his brother again, only in his ribs. He flinched in pain and held his now sore side.

They all made friends with each other quickly. They spent a lot of time together for a long time, until winter hit.

Mary and Aleena were trying to head home, when they saw something curled up under a table. Shivering. Aleena looked under it to see a girl just about their age, with torn clothes, she looked scared.

Aleena helped her out from under the table, "Oh you poor thing! Come on, let's get you somewhere warm!"

Mary and Aleena took her to her home not too far away. They put her by a fireplace with a soft blanket on the couch and spoke amongst themselves in the kitchen with Dark.

"You think she's from around here?" Dark asked.

"No, she's mortal, she was too vulnerable to the cold." Aleena said.

"You really think she's mortal blood?" Mary asked.

"What else could she be? Witches haven't been around for centuries." Dark stated.  
"But what of StoneHenge? Who's to say it's gone?" Aleena questioned.

"Not really a possibility anymore, they were all killed in a bombing." Dark stated.

"Well what should we do?" Mary asked.

"There is a cabin that isn't currently occupied." Aleena suggested.

"I have some money from my job I could lend over to help pay for it." Dark offered.

"Me too." Mary chimed in.

"So it's settled then?" Aleena asked.

They all heard mumbling and saw the girl had awoken, seemingly hungry. They fed her some warm soup of course and told her of their plan to help her.

She obliged, happily, but shuddered whenever they asked her where she came from or how she came to be lost in the snow. The only question she answered was her name.

"...I am Amelia. But...you may call me Amy."

"NICE TO MEET YOU AMY!" Dark practically yelled happily.

She shrieked in terror and hid under the chair trembling in fear. Aleena and Mary scowled at him.

"What?" Dark asked.

Mary helped her out, "Don't mind him sugar. He's kind of stupid. And loud."

Amy smiled and giggled.

The next day they all took shifts helping her through the day, learning that she was terribly shy. A few more weeks passed as winter faded away. Everything seemed normal till two more students had shown up at school.

It was during lunch it had all transpired, "I heard that there's a new student coming today." Amy started.

"You mean the girl?" Mary asked, but Amy shook her head.

"No. He's much too different to be even close."

"How so?"

"He's dark and scary...and he's really, really mean. He's been suspended from every last school he's been to, and that was just for dark magic…" Amy spoke quietly.

"Hm, I think I'm gonna like this kid." Gorse joined in the conversation.

"GORSE!" Dark exclaimed.

"What? Prince Of Darkness, remember?"

"You best watch yo ass boy! Cause I ain't lettin' dat happen!" Mary said.

"I've been reading about things like these. Witches are one thing, but the kind with magic like that...it's like a curse. You guys are immortal, but he's immortal with no way of dying, not even by a stake through the heart," Amy added.

"Sounds like a bunch of baloney to me!" Dark exclaimed.

"I hope so." Ganer replied.

"I just hope everything will be alright." Aleena said.

"I'm sure it will be Aleena." Dark assured her.

"Excuse me." They all looked up, to see a dark red colored fox standing before him, his eyes red, and his mere posture intimidating.

"Does anyone happen to know where the line for lunch starts?"

It was like living her worst nightmare. Amy began to fall backward out of her seat, but Mary caught her and chuckled nervously, "Don't mind her! I-It starts over dere!"

"Thanks." he said, heading to where Mary had pointed.

She sighed in relief, "Phew, that boy was sure terrifyin'!"

"More like a nightmare!" Amy whimpered as she woke back up from passing out.

Gannetta was cuddled up against Ganer in fear, but he was blushing too much to be scared. He was clearly out of it.

"Oh dear, that couldn't have been good!" Aleena exclaimed.

The rest of the day they all avoided the boy, until after school let out and everyone was on their way home.

Gorse and Dark stopped him in the halls, "Hey there, I'm Dark, this is Gorse. We didn't quite catch your name."

The boy remained silent for a few moments before saying, "Tom. Tom T. Fox."

They glanced at each other nervously and then back to Tom.

Gorse shoved Dark away, "Well! I heard that you're into black magic there!"

Tom showed no emotion saying, "I know a few spells. I've actually heard a lot about you too. We should hang out sometime."

"Awesome! Now when would you like to meet?"

But Gorse got pulled to the side by his ear. He glanced up to see it was Dark.

Growling he rubbed his ear, "Dark, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Dark seemed concerned, "Gorse, I don't like this. I don't care what kind of prince you are or what you're a prince of. You can't just hang out with shady guys like...well...him!" he said, gesturing to the fox waiting for them to return.

"And why should I care?" Gorse asked.

"What would your brother say if he found out you were hanging out with some random guy you just met, who performs black magic?"

Gorse stayed quiet for a few moments before taking a deep breath and reaching for his glasses. But just as he was about to take them off, his brother intervened.

"Hey Gorse! Come over here, I got something I'd like to tell you!" he said, dragging his brother away.

Tom starred in confusion. But what Dark didn't notice, was his smirk. He thought about the fun he could have with this fox. The next day, more abnormality followed.

Gorse sat alone at lunch, now this was strange because normally, girls were swooning him. The others kept trying to figure it out, till Ganer saw Gorse wasn't wearing his glasses.

"Uh oh, this can't be good." he muttered.

Mary looked up as well, noticing a girl none of them had ever seen before. Probably the new girl they had been expecting. But what caused her to panic was she headed over to Gorse.

"Oh shit…" Mary whispered.

The girl just stood there for a few moments before Gorse noticed.

She smiled nervously, "Um, hi, I was wondering if I could sit here?" she asked.

"... Sure." Gorse mumbled and motioned to a chair next to him, looking away from the new girl.

She sat beside him, introducing herself as Foximina - Foxy for short.

"...Gorse. Prince Gorse." he snapped slightly. His attitude didn't seem to bother her much.

Amy started observing this girl carefully, wondering why she seemed unfazed by Gorse's tone and movement.

"What is it Amy?" Dark asked.

"That girl doesn't really look to be into bad things, but she's not affected by Gorse's grumpiness. How is that possible?"

Mary shrugged, "I don't know."

The rest of the day went on as usual, till they all got home. Ganer was chewing Gorse out pretty bad, also forcing him to put his glasses back on.

"Gorse, why the hell would you ever leave this house without those glasses?! Mother made them especially for yo-"

Gorse snapped, though his glasses were on, "SHE'S NOT MY MOTHER GANER! GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!" he screamed.

Ganer stepped back, he had never seen his brother act like this, sure the occasional tantrum when his glasses were missing but, not this. This was different.

"Gorse...did...did something happen to C-Candy?" Ganer asked about his mother and Gorse's step mother.

Gorse didn't answer him. He just left the room, slamming the door shut. Ganer sighed. He had a feeling his father had done something terrible, or was planning to.

The next day Gorse was moodier than ever, though his glasses were still on. But Foxy still willingly sat beside him each day, grumpy or not. The others became concerned, but to no avail surprisingly, as they found their friend had started to comply with the female he found annoying at first.

"Oh how sweet! He's falling in love!" Gannetta stated.

Ganer rolled his eyes, "Come on now Gannetta, Gorse? In love? You have to be kidding."

She smirked slightly, "Now now, there's nothing wrong with being in love darling. In fact, I'm in love myself."

Ganer stared at her for a moment before asking, "Really? And who would that be?"

Gannetta blushed, "Well-" she was interrupted by laughing from Gorse's table.

She smirked when Ganer saw Gorse laughing with Foxy. "Told you he was in love!"

"Now if only we could avoid one more problem." Amy stated, hopefully as a shadow cast over her.

She looked up, seeing a dark colored seedrian standing behind her, she fell again only to caught by another. An angry looking brown wolf known as Truth.

He scowled at the seedrian, "What are you doing over here Harsuki?"

She smirked, "Oh, just doing my daily collection. Pay up geeks!"

Mary glared at her, coming ever so close to her face, "Listen here bitch! You betta fuck off before I-"

She was suddenly backhanded by the seedrian and tossed to the nearest wall all the way across the lunchroom.

Harsuki frowned, "Hmph. Pathetic."

Gannetta screamed in panic, but was held close by Ganer.

Dark growled and told Aleena to stay down.

Truth just scowled, "You piss off before I kill you!"

Harsuki sneered, "Or what?"

"Or I'll personally dispose of you myself…" a cold sounding voice declared.

She turned around, only to see Gorse standing there, his glasses missing.

"Oh, I'm so scared of a freaky looking fox!" she sarcastically remarked.

Gorse growled, and punched the ignorant girl so hard she fell to the floor. She put her hand over where he had hit her, and saw blood on her fingertips. She stared up at the angered fox in fear.

"Beat it." he snapped, and she scowled, though still running off. Mary was the first to praise Gorse for his madness for once.

"Gorse! That was amazing!"

"Where did that come from?" Dark asked.

"You were smashing darling!" Aleena exclaimed.

"Maybe you're more than just a time bomb." Ganer said.

"That was so cool Gorse!" Gannetta praised.

He blushed in embarrassment and put his glasses back on, "It was nothing guys. Really."

"It sure was something to me!" a familiar voice said.

He turned around to see Foxy, now he was scared, "You...saw that?"

She nodded, "Every last second!"

He hung his head in shame.

"And it was spectacular! I've never seen anything like it!" she shouted.

He lifted his head up, confused, "Wh-What? You mean...you aren't mad or afraid?"

Foxy shook her head, "No! Why would I be either? You're the bestest friend ever!" she said, hugging him from one side.

He blushed. He never really had friends before. Sure Dark and him hung out from time to time, but this felt different. Like something...stronger? He couldn't make it out.

He walked her home again and headed back to his own house, though made an interesting discovering upon going to his brother's room. He heard noises coming from there and was wondering if he should go in or not.

He made the final decision to open the door, only to find his brother making out with Gannetta. He blushed. No, his face was totally red.

Ganer looked up from his make out session and blushed, "Err…" he said, trying not to make things more awkward.

"SHIT! I-I didn't mean to walk in on this! I-I'm sorry!" Gorse yelped, though his nose was starting to bleed a little.

He slammed the door shut and went straight to his room. He sat there for the rest of the night, trying not to think about it, eventually falling asleep.

But the next day things had changed. Gorse was awkwardly staying away from Ganer because of the night before and Ganer just kept away from his older brother to keep the awkward at a minimum.

Foxy sat next to him at lunch as usual, only something else happened that steered their friendship into a whole new direction.

"I don't know. I never really thought about who I might marry if I ever do," Foxy said. "What about you? Surely you have someone in mind."

Gorse glanced up at her, "Not really. I've...never really known what it's like to be loved like that before."

Foxy raised her eyebrow at this, "How is that? You seem so sweet! I've actually heard that before I came along, you were showered with tons of other girls!"

Gorse shook his head, "No, they just liked me cause I'm a prince. The only reason they stopped following around my brother was because he already stepped down. He just lives with us now."

Foxy thought for a moment, "Well, I don't just like you for your title. You're actually...kinda nice."

He flicked his ears up, "Really? How so?" "

"Well, you haven't done anything mean to me yet. Even when you weren't wearing those magic glasses you were nice enough to let me sit with you."

All of this was true. He had only been around her since the day she arrived. He pondered in silence for a moment till she started to move closer. He didn't notice it till he felt something touch his hand.

He glanced over and saw another hand on top of his own. He glanced up, seeing Foxy right there beside him. He blushed. He felt warm inside, something like he had never felt before. It felt nice.

He didn't move for a moment, then he took Foxy's hand in his. She blushed, but smiled. He smiled back almost shyly. The others at their table suddenly noticed this going on, especially Ganer.

"You look rather cute when you blush..." Foxy whispered.

"Hmph..." he muttered back.

They stayed like this for a few moments before Gorse finally kissed her. She didn't pull back, not even when he pulled her closer. They finally broke their kiss and stared at each other.

Foxy smiled, and for the first time, so did Gorse. They didn't really care that the others were watching.

But Gorse made a mistake taking her home with him that night. He left her in his room to go get a drink, and all too soon, his father stepped right in.

He saw the girl, and he knew she was of lower stance than his own son. He would not have this. He smirked, It's okay he thought. I'll just kill her, and no one will ever knowand with that, he pounced on the poor girl, fist raised in attack, and she screamed in pain and fear.

Meanwhile, Gorse was getting a glass of water. Before any of this transpired, he was staring at himself in the mirror, when his reflection smirked, it's eyes fading red to differ itself from him.

He scowled, "I'm not evil. I'm not the end of this world. I am good."

The reflection scoffed at his inferior copy, "Please, spare me. You and I are the same. We all know she doesn't truly love you! Who would love a maniac like yourself?!"

Gorse growled, "I'm...not...A MANIAC!" he screamed, shattering the mirror completely with his bare fist.

He breathed heavily, bangs covering his eyes. "I'm...n-not...evil…" he said one last time.

He bandaged up his bleeding hand, and picked up his glass of water. Suddenly Gorse heard his lover's screams from downstairs and dropped his glass of water. His eyes turned red, and his glasses cracked, one lens breaking off a bit.

He growled and hurried upstairs, stepping in between Rick and his lover.

He growled, "Stand down now father...and I shall not kill you."

Rick chuckled, "Kill me? Not even you are capable of that!"

Gorse growled. He was becoming fed up with his father's attitude. Foxy looked up.

"G-Gorse…?" She whimpered.

Gorse seemed to calm himself when he heard her, "It's okay...just...stay put, okay?" He soothed.

He stepped forth and came face to face with his father, scowling in hatred, he pounced on Rick, clawing out his eye. Rick screamed in pain, and kicked his son off of him, holding the blackness where his eye was.

He glared up at Gorse, not caring about the blood on his hand. He chuckled, almost like a mad man and declared, "You cannot kill a vampire, foolish child!"

Gorse didn't stand down though, he kept fighting, until he finally struck down his enemy. Rick was on his hands and knees, severely wounded.

"Heh...y-you're a coward...look a-at you." Rick coughed,blood dripping down his chin.

Gorse glared down at the man he could not believe he had called "father" for so many years. He was going to finish him off, until his brother foiled his plans as always, rushing in to see their father, broken and battered on the floor.

He shook his head rapidly trying to snap out of it, he looked at his hands, covered in his father's blood. He realized what he had done, what had happened.

"I...I'm sorry...I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he shouted, running off.

"Gorse!" Foxy shouted, but he would not listen.

Though still weak from her injuries, she still managed to chase after him. Ganer helped his father up and took him to the restroom to patch up his wounds as Foxy chased after his older brother.

She eventually caught up to Gorse by the lake, finding him in tears.

"G-Gorse?"

He didn't answer for a moment, "I-I almost killed him...I almost k-killed my father…" he choked out.

She stared at him, she had never seen him like this before. Gorse hid his face in his blood covered hands and shook in fear and regret. Gorse felt arms around him and moved his hands to see Foxy hugging him.

"F-Foximina…?"

"Don't cry...I don't like seeing you sad…" she whispered.

Gorse stared at her for a second before giving her a tight hug. She gently pet the back of his head letting him cry, "Shh...it's okay Gorse."

Gorse sniffled and only hugged tighter. He looked up at Foxy and managed a weak smile, though tears were still in his eyes. She smiled, and kissed her lover.

Gorse blushed, but didn't break the kiss, instead he pulled her closer, no longer caring about what was happening in the world as his eyes closed while he kissed his lover.

They eventually broke their kiss, and smiled at each other. Gorse suddenly frowned again.

"What's wrong?" Foxy asked.

"I-I can't take you back to my father...h-he's too dangerous!" Gorse exclaimed.

She turned his face to her own, "Then we'll run away together...away from all of this."

"...I would like that...I really would...But…" Gorse trailed off.

"But what?" Foxy prompted.

"I-I can't leave the kingdom just yet...i-it's because my brother isn't an heir now and...well...I might be able to get my father locked up. It will be safe for us to be together!"

"...I love you Gorse."

Gorse blushed almost crimson, and smiled at Foxy, "I love you too Foxy.."

He hugged her gently and kissed her cheek. "No matter what…" He whispered.

They went home happier than ever that night. Ganer was angry of course, until Gorse explained the whole situation, his lover beside him. They called the police, and watched as he was dragged into the van that came for him.

"I'LL BE BACK YOU BRATS! I WON'T GIVE UP! NOT UNTIL I DIE!" he screamed.

Gorse just scowled at his father, "Keep trying…You're not coming back out…"

Rick scowled at his son as he was thrown into the van with a strait jacket on him. Gorse turned away and returned back to the castle with his little brother and his lover.

The next day at school things seemed more peaceful. Until Gorse noticed a poster on the wall that mentioned a dance. His little brother was obviously going to drag him along, he gulped.

He saw Ganer walking up and quickly blocked the poster out of view, "Hey Ganer! What's going on?"

Ganer could see the nervous grin on his face, "Gorse, you're acting really weird."

"Weird? I'm not acting weird!" Gorse grinned innocently, though he was sweating.

"...What's that poster say?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Then let me see."

"No! I mean...we should really get to class we'll be late!" Gorse stuttered.

"...We just got here for intramurals."

"Really? I had no idea!"

"The sun is only halfway up and there's a clock right there." Ganer stated.

"O-oh… Well…" Gorse stuttered.

Ganer sighed and grabbed his older brother's wrists. They struggled in a mock fight for a minute before Ganer won and got Gorse out of the way. Ganer's face lit up when he saw the poster, sealing Gorse's fate.

Ganer dragged him to a formal clothing store after school with Dark and Christopher. Chris didn't really look for a tuxedo, he was just sitting in a chair browsing his phone with his earphones in.

He laughed upon seeing each of them having to put one on. Anyone who knew those boys well, knew they hated wearing shirts, let alone tuxedos. But they did as much anyway, and went home for the day.

Of course there were a few girls chatting about the dance themselves.

"I don't know, a dance? It's still winter. Besides, who am I supposed to go with? Ain't no man gon' satisfy me!" A very impatient and sassy owl spat.

"Oh don't be like that Lou. Sure you don't have a date, but that doesn't mean you can't have any fun." Foxy replied.

"Oh of course it's easy for you two to say things like dat! Y'all are both head over heels for your man!"

Aleena giggled. They were all shopping for dresses, so they tried to keep quiet while in the store.

"Now now Lou, there's no need for that! We're gonna have tons of fun! I know it's been hard on you since Harlie's come around, but it's gonna get better."

Mary Lou smiled, "Yeah? I guess so."

The girls giggled and finished purchasing their attire and headed home. The night passed them all by and the next few days came quickly. Dark hadn't quite hung around Truth too much, and once he decided to introduce himself, they were seen hanging around talking a lot.

He and Truth developed sort of a rivalry after that. They were arguing constantly that week which one of them had the fairer maiden. Gorse had constantly gotten between them with Chris and Mary Lou.

But soon the tension was forced to calm, as the night of the dance came. Each of the boys' pick up was very awkward to say the least, all except Gorse. He was lovestruck.

He would always remember that night, he knocked and what greeted him when the door swung open was a dream. Foxy had her hair done up in a bun and her dress...her dress was a light yellow with beautiful pink lily flowers on it.

She giggled at his red face, "Gee, is it that good?"

Gorse shook off his daydreaming, not hearing her voice. "Err...you...you look wonderful," he stammered.

Foxy blushed, "You don't look too bad yourself. Shall we get going?"

Gorse nodded in reply and gently took her hand, and they headed off for the school. When they arrived, it was an insane scene. There were lots of tables with tons of varieties of foods and blood packs, plus drinks.

Many of the students were wobbling, so it was safe to assume the drinks had been spiked. Millions of bodies crammed the dance floor, and at the front was a DJ with vinyl records freestyling every once in a while.

Many couples had gone into the locker rooms, seeing as the dance was held in the gym, to do things Gorse didn't want to think about.

The two split up to find their friends, they would dance later. Gorse eventually found his group by the food and drinks. Christopher was drunk, as well as Truth and Dark.

Ganer was sober, gently trying to keep all three boys upright. Foximina found her lovely girls by the bleachers, Mary was chewing out some poor boy who had asked her to dance, while Gannetta and Amy were sitting around waiting to be asked to dance.

Tonight was indeed going to be interesting. During all this, a certain little lemur was sitting on a vending machine, watching all the students party. He carefully observed each one, until he landed on Gorse.

He noticed he and his date were split up at the moment.

Neko smirked, and scurried to the DJ, "Yo Daniel! Toss a set!"

The DJ looked to Neko puzzled, "Which one?"

Neko smiled and pulled out a record, "Here."

The DJ took it and smiled, "Oh you sly devil you. Aight, lemme finish this song and I'll play this set."

Neko scurried back to the vending machine and waited. Eventually the DJ turned down his set and started to talk,

"Hey you havin' a good time everybody?!"

The crowd of students cheered. The DJ chuckle and continued, "Well we'll continue our fun in a moment, but right now I want you to get close to your special someone out there cause we're gonna slow things down."

The crowd started assimilating into partners as the song began. Foxy glanced around looking for her date. She turned around to finally see Gorse standing there, his hand offering for a dance.

She took it, in answer. They began to dance as well as their friends. Neko went back to the DJ and kept his eyes on the two. "I've been here for five thousand years Dan. I have never seen love like that."

The DJ smirked, "It ain't just them little buddy. Look."

The DJ gestured towards Dark and Aleena, and then Ganer and Ganetta. Neko smiled, his plan successful even more than he had thought it'd be.

Neko chuckled a bit at Dark still being drunk trying to dance with his date. Aleena was giggling herself. Finally she decided to plant a kiss on his lips to try him snap him out of his drunken state.

He did blush, but yet a drunk man is still drunk. She pulled back and giggled again. Gorse just danced the night away with his date. It was a moment no one would forget. Soon days began to pass, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months.

Soon the school year ended, but not on a good note. Tom was banished from the kingdom lands, as well as Haruski, who suffered a far harsher punishment. The last anyone had heard, she was chained up somewhere in the forbidden territory.

Truth and Dark started becoming more of enemies than rivals. Amy herself had gotten upset with Dark recently over him taking in a young boy they found in the forest.

She remembered that night like many other things. She was walking along with Dark and Aleena, she didn't speak but that didn't stop Dark from flirting with Aleena. Suddenly, they saw a bright light, and then fell back as the ground shook.

Dark got up and ran to the source of the shockwave. Only to find a young looking wolf with light yellow fur, and blue dots on his bangs. He had many wounds and scars, and even a broken arm.

The youngling opened his yellow eyes and glanced up at the man before him. "...B-Brother…?" he whispered, before passing out. Dark picked him up. He didn't know what to say.

He looked up, scanning the skies for any plausible reason the boy ended up here. He found no planes or jets or anything of the sort, but he could've sworn he saw a shadow dash across the night sky.

"DARK!" two familiar voice shouted. He turned, seeing Amy and Aleena running towards him.

"What happened?! Who...who is that…?!" Amy screeched.

Dark seemed to be in an entirely different world. He ignored them, and walked passed carrying the boy to the nearest hospital. But the reason Amy had been so upset, was that he had lied about his relationship to the boy. Claiming to be his brother when the doctor had asked.

She became distant, and soon neither Dark nor Aleena saw head or hide of her after that. Gorse became distant as well, creating a tension between him and Dark.

He moved into a small hut to start a family with Foximina, and Dark had done the same, moving into a small farmhouse in the forest. Dark was the first to successfully bring out a child.

They named him "James 'Biohazzard' Wolf." Biohazzard being his nickname, due to his...unusual bang pattern. Next around the same times came Gorse's first kids, then Dark's next ones.

Both had the same deal; twins. Gorse had one girl and one boy. He named the girl "Tailsica" meaning "Gentle butterfly" in Fox Clan language. And the boy? "Asurath" meaning "Strength" in Fox Clan language.

Dark just named his boys Randal and Alex. The two pairs were similar, they both played together often. But the difference with Alex and Randal is that they were a little rougher.

However, their older brother didn't hesitate to break them up however he could if it got too far. As for Tailsica and Asurath, the two couldn't be apart ever. No matter where they went.

Which only made it worse when Asurath was told his sister could not go to school until she stopped feeling sick so often. Their bond was strong and unbreakable, and it was clear to all who saw it. It was all determined a very late night when they were only two.

Tailsica ran into her room laughing and giggling, grinning that grin she always did. Asurath was being held by his mother, though he was getting fussy because he wanted to play.

Then everyone turned their heads up as they heard Tailsica shriek. She ran out of the room, but a hand picked her up by her tail. There stood a black fox with red, searing eyes.

He smirked, and Gorse growled. The fox stopped holding the infant by her tail, and moved her so that he held her properly.

"Well well well...isn't this nice? You moved all the way out here to have two little trolls." The fox said.

Foxy looked bewildered. "Who are you? What are you talking about?"

Gorse was silently fighting the urge to take off his glasses, "Enu...put her down."

"Enu…?" Foxy whispered.

Asurath scowled, seeing his sister near the point of crying.

Enu frowned, "Didn't you teach your brat not to stare? Tsk tsk tsk...I'd expect better of you Gorse."

Asurath's cheeks started to puff up as he held his breath, his cheeks growing red. Enu just laughed at how the fledgeling tried to be intimidating. Tailsica finally began to cry, and Asurath lost it.

Suddenly, right before the eyes of his parents as well as the intruder, his shape transformed. His muzzle grew longer, and his clothes ripped off as he grew more fur. He hopped out of his mother's arms, and landed on four newly shaped paws. He had shapeshifted into a wolf cub.

The youngling bit Enu's ankle, sinking it into his flesh. Enu yelled and dropped Asurath's young sister. He caught her, bringing her to their father and growling at Enu.

The intruder simply growled back, "You will regret this day…" And in a flash of light, he was gone.

Asurath changed back to his former self, and acted as though nothing had even happened, giggling happily as babies do. Foxy and Gorse were stunned, they didn't know what to think or say. But Tailsica understood, and flashed a smile at her brother.

At that moment, their bond had formed. And they grew up being inseparable. As for Alex however, he grew up as a simple farm boy along with his brothers. When he was very small, their parents adopted a puppy. He named it Luke, after his deceased uncle on his mother's side of the family.

Luke liked them all the same, but he formed a stronger bond with Alex over the years. Alex was always terrible with navigation, and got lost one day in the city. Or so they called it.

He stopped, looking around to see if there was a familiar path home, but his dog's growling distracted him. He glanced over, and saw a young wolf about his age, pointing a gun right at him.

Next to him was a fox with dreadlocks. He jumped behind a trashcan to defend himself. "What you doin' cracker?!" he heard.

"Gimme dat! I'll do it myself!" Footsteps followed and then he heard a click,

"Get yo ass out here cracker, 'fore I fill your brain with lead."

Shadic shuddered, "A-Ahm not from here! P-Please don' kill me!" He yelped in a farmer's accent.

"I dun said git out here cracker!"

No reply came. But Luke tackled the child down, and the gun went flying, landing by Alex's foot. He grabbed it, getting up and aiming it at his attacker. The boy flinched.

Finally, a foot is shot forward and flung the gun from Alex's shakey hands. All the boys looked up to see a young wolf with dark brown fur.

The tension seemed to fade off, as the boy who first held the gun stepped forward, "Um...s-sorry about this..what's your name kid?"

Alex rubbed his arm, "...Alex."

The boy smirked, "Heh. Nice. I'm Andrew. That boy there's Rusty," gesturing to the fox.

"And that there is me best mate. Trent." He finished, wrapping his arm around the final boy.

Trent blushed, "Aw shucks Andrew."

Alex smiled, less afraid of the boys. Luke calmed down as well.

"So...you said you're not from here cracker?" Rusty asked.

Alex nodded.

"Well, where ya live?"

Alex gulped, "I-In the forest. There's a little farmhouse. But ah can't figure out where it is."

Rusty thought, "Hmm...oh! Yeah I know where dat is! Follow me cracker!"

Alex smiled, and talked with the boys as they lead him back home. Before he went inside, Andrew stopped him and handed him a bandanna cloth with a strange symbol on it.

Alex took it and wrapped it around his arm, waving goodbye to his new friends and heading inside. From that point on, he grew up under their wings. Trent would always tease him for being a virgin. But Andrew told him to ignore it.

It went on like that for a long time, until one tragic day took it's toll on Alex. He was playing with Luke outside, and he noticed it was starting to get cloudy out.

"Uh oh. Better head back inside boy, we gon' get wet!" Alex turned, but Luke didn't follow as his ears perked at a sound his master could not hear. He tackled down his owner, and a loud bang was heard.

Alex sat up, "Luke what're you do-" His eyes grew wide as his eyes fell upon his beloved dog. Luke was lying on the ground, bleeding, a hole in his chest. He gave little twitches and whimpers to show he was alive. Hot tears ran down Alex's cheeks, as thunder sounded and rain began to pour down.

"L-Luke…?" Alex whimpered.

His brothers and parents ran out to him, wearing raincoats of course, and were horrified by the sight that laid before them. Alex ignored the burns the rain inflicted upon his fur and skin.

Randal began to cry, "No...Luke no…!"

The family mourned, and Dark went back inside. He came back out with a shotgun and then walked up beside his saddened son, "Look away boy…"

Alex didn't even move.

"Look...away…!" Dark ordered.

Alex closed his eyes as tight as he could. Another shot was heard, and the whimpers had stopped. Luke was dead. The family shambled back inside while Dark buried the body out in the backyard.

Alex refused to leave the house, and his friends would often come looking for him. But they had always been turned away. One day he had become sick.

His parents went to work, and his brothers to school. But what they didn't know is that he really wasn't sick. He was faking. Once he was sure they were gone, he stepped outside, and sat in front of his friend's grave.

Rain had been pouring down a lot since that day. Alex didn't even acknowledge the burns forming on him once more. He heard the crunching of leaves and twigs as he looked up, seeing his friend, Tailsica, a raincoat on her, staring horrified at him.

She had come to check up on him, since she too was usually sick. She dragged her blinded friend inside and dried him off.

"What were you thinking?!" She shrieked.

Alex didn't answer. He was locked in sadness. Tailsica sighed, and hugged him as tightly as she could. Alex blinked, looked down, then finally let out a slew of tears that had been held back for far too long, hugging her back tightly.

"Shadic, I know it's hard to lose Luke.." Tailsica said as she gently coaxed Shadic over to the couch. "But you have to move on… Luke would want that…"

"YOU DONT KNOW WHAT MY DOG WOULD WANT!" Shadic suddenly screamed as tears fell down his face.

He let out a sob as Tailsica made him sit on the couch. Tailsica hugged him tightly and the grieving boy hugged her back just as tightly.

Eventually he fell asleep in his friends arms and she slowly laid him down on the couch. She sighed, she didnt know what to do with Shadic at the moment.

The next few days, Shadic slowly got better with his depression. Tailsica continued to visit him and made sure the older boy ate and got clean.

"Shadic you need to stay clean." Tailsica said as she scrubbed Shadic's hair, she had forced him into a bath tub with purified water to keep from burning his skin.

"This is embarrassin' T, Ah don' need ya ta clean me up ya know." Shadic said grumpily. He was trying his best to cover his chest, seeing as he had no chest fur like his brothers and father at the time.

"I don't care Shadic. You're gonna get clean and you're gonna like it." Tailsica stated as she grabbed a cup floating in the tub, filled it with water, and dunked it over Shadic's head to get the suds out.

"Grr…" Shadic growled, and shook his head roughly, splattering his female friend with water, earning a shriek from her.

"SHADIC!"

"Ah didn' do it."

Just then Shadic's father came into the bathroom.

"What's goin' on here?" Dark questioned.

"Nothing Mr. Wolf. Shadic is clean now, you can dry him off!" Tailsica chirped cheerfully and walked out of the bathroom, despite having a giant dark spot on her shirt belly where she got splattered with water.

Shadic rolled his eyes and got out of the tub as Dark got a towel and began to dry Shadic's hair. They stayed quiet for a moment before Dark started conversation.

"Seem's like she's formed a bond with you boy." Dark stated.

"Bond?" Shadic questioned.

"Where you two can tolerate each other a lot more than what most can. Um…. Kinda like me and your mother."

"EW! GROSS! NO WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT! WE DON' KISS AND STUFF." Shadic yelled but he was smiling.

"Okay, bad example, umm.. Like you and your younger brother, except you don't fight."

"Hey Pa?" Shadic wanted to change the subject.

"Yes son?" Dark wrapped the towel around Shadic's torso, curious at what Shadic wanted.

"Why don' ya talk like me and my brothers? Ya sound like ya were raised different." Shadic said.

Just then there was a distinct noise that was indistinguishable. It was familiar to the boys already since they already knew it was from the cellar. But they were told to never go in it, and they never did.

"Huh?" Shadic questioned. He was always curious about the noise.

"Go get dressed Shadic." Dark ordered. And Shadic left the bathroom quickly and went to his room to get dressed. Dark stood up and went to the door to the cellar, opened it, and went into the dark place, making sure to close the door behind him.

"Papa…? Is that you…?" a frail voice asked. He knew well who it was.

"Yes." Dark stated, the single word was supposed to stop the voice from talking.

"You've been gone for longer than usual...I'm so hungry...please spare me something...please…?"

"... Alright, I'll give you some food, I'll be back in a moment." Dark sighed. He went back up the steps, and re entered his home. He went to the kitchen and brought out a few left overs from the night before's dinner. Stuff Shadic only picked at. He then brought the food back down into the cellar.

"Here. I have food." He stated.

A small yet bony figure staggered forward and weakly took the bits of sustenance.

"...Don't...hurt...them…" she said, only this time less timidly, and more acidly, as if threatening her father.

"I would never hurt my sons Maggie," Dark glared at the small girl, his voice cold and unloving. "And I wouldn't hurt James if that is your main concern."

"Liar…" she snapped once more, turning her back on her father.

Dark sighed, and left the cellar, and went in the house to his wife. She didn't say anything, but he knew she was struggling.

Months passed, and Alex seemed to grow more curious about the cellar, but his brothers would always make sure he didn't even reach the front door, knowing each time why he was going out.

However, they were quite perplexed to see that their father had finally stopped going to the cellar at all. The last time they saw him come back out of it, they were told one last time if they were caught trying to go inside, there would be harsh punishment.

They knew he wouldn't hurt them, but they weren't willing to find out what the punishment was. They also noticed that after that day their mother was more quiet than usual.

She was often in her bedroom, sobbing. Being unaware of what was going on, the boys were helpless to do anything for their mother and never spoke of it.

However, a couple more years after this turnabout of events Dark received a letter. It was from the castle which surprised all of them since they were simple farm folk and had never received any acknowledgement from royalty.

Dark opened the letter however and read it, not out-loud however. After reading, he told his sons to go pack their things. They didn't question the order and did as they were told.

His wife however, was still confused, "What is it dear?"

Dark turned to his wife, "I've...been asked to join the royal guard."

The shock on her face was clear as day, "Royal guard?! By whom?!"

Dark didn't answer her, but he had a pretty good feeling he knew just who it was. After a lot of paperwork and moving, Dark went to the castle with his letter.

After some complications with the guards he managed to get inside, only to find that it was mostly empty. Not used to so much space in one place like this, he actually felt a little intimidated.

The guards slowly lead the farmer to the end of the hall, which had a large door. It seemed to open on it's own, and he stepped inside. He jumped slightly when the doors closed again only to find two more guards were in the room with him.

He sighed and walked along the red carpet that lead to a staircase. At the top of it was a throne, and Dark froze once he saw who was sitting upon it.

"G-Gorse…? Is that you…?" Dark managed to choke out.

The familiar fox smiled, "Hey Nightshade. How goes it?"

Dark wasn't quite sure how to respond. It was all so sudden and strange.

"I uh...I got your letter...you wanted me to join this uh...royal guard gig ya got goin' on?" he said in a slight country accent.

"I figured it's time we tie up old knots and get back in touch. But I also thought I might help ya out a little," the fox replied.

"Help me out? What do you mean?" Dark asked.

"Oh come on Nightshade! Farming is practically a dead business these days. I know you're hardly pulling in money," Gorse said, "You used to tussle with me quite a bit back in high school, and as much as I hate to admit it, you beat me quite a bit."

"Yeah, but...I'm a bit outta shape here Gorse." Dark stated and looked down a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Then we'll get ya into training! I know an old friend of ours that can help ya get started."

"I donno...this is all so sudden Gorse. I did move into the village like ya told me to, but I guess I wasn't quite expectin' this."

"Don't you worry, I got it all covered. And hey, now you can finally get to meet my kids!"

"What?! Ya'll had children?!" Dark exclaimed, deeply surprised at his friend.

"What? You surprised? I may have been irresponsible back in my school days, but I've grown out of my youthful shell. I practically feel like an old man already."

"Yeah I know what ya mean. I got three boys." Dark said.

"Who-ho-ho! nice Nightshade! I've got twins."

"Um...C-can you not call me that? I go by Dark y'know."

"Sorry, royal policy I guess." Gorse shrugged.

The two were walking and talking down the hall now, as they continued to chat about what they had been doing since they last saw each other.

It didn't take long for Dark to get to training, and that's when he saw his old sparring buddy, Truth. He was a bit surprised, but he noted that Truth still had that huge ego of his.

They both developed a new sort of rivalry for each other. Eventually Dark earned the title of "Captain" and was overjoyed to hear it.

Gorse had even asked if Dark would have his son become prince. Alex only took a day to come up with his answer.

Gorse took Dark and Alex to a professor, where he hooked up a machine to Alex's body and head.

"Are you sure this is safe Professor?" Dark asked.

"Absolutely!" the Professor said. "Ready Alex "Shadic" The Wolf?"

"A-ahm ready." Shadic stated.

The Professor pulled the lever, and Shadic let out a scream of pain that lasted all of about a minute before he passed out. Dark caught his son and looked up at the Professor and then to the King.

"Thank you.." Dark whispered

"Your son will now think he's the rightful prince. But his life will be a lie Dark, if Gorse is to die, the crown will automatically turn to you. No coronation required." the Professor said.

"For now, you pretend to be the king around your sons. But make sure they know that Shadic is not to be told the truth. I will continue work as the king but be a guard when Shadic is around." Gorse said.

Dark nodded. He understood.

Everything seemed to be working out in not only Dark's favor, but the kingdom's itself, and things were looking up.

BOOM

Nearly the whole village woke up in a fright, including Dark and his family. And before he knew it all the guards were being called forth to engage in battle.

He told his wife to stay put, and to make sure their sons didn't wander outside as he put on his armor and headed out.

Shadows were moving in the darkness, but as one shadow knocked over a torch, a fire had began, lighting up the area and revealing a hoard of Raccats flying above.

They all noticed their cover was blown, and began attacking directly. Aleena watched from a small peek out the curtains in her window. She wasn't too keen on remaining in the castle where they had been moved.

She told her sons to stay put and left the room, leaving her sons quaking in fear. Outside Dark was ordering around the troops, trying to push back the disgusting creatures.

His eyes fell upon Truth, they had been in a bit of a tussle lately over a few things.

He scowled, "Truth!"

Truth looked up, "Yes Captain?"

"Out to the fields, I want ya'll to push back whatever's still tryin' to get in! I'll send more soon!"

Truth seemed hesitant, but he knew he couldn't disobey the Captain's orders, and did as told. Dark soon got into the field himself to help his men fend of the threat.

Meanwhile, Gorse was watching all this through his own window.

He growled, "Foxy, get the children downstairs and don't come out till I come back. Understand?"

Foxy nodded and gently shooed the children into a door hidden beneath a rug on the floor. She turned back to her husband, noticing he was reaching for his glasses.

She grabbed him quickly and kissed him, she pulled back quickly however and retreated into the cellar. Gorse waited until the door had shut to take off his glasses.

Gorse's eyes turned red and he threw his glasses onto the floor. He then walked out of the room and left the castle, grabbing a sword as he left.

He opened the door and saw the war raging outside the castle. And he ran into the war, only to see a new enemy coming, werewolves.

Meanwhile, Biohazard had left Randal and Shadic on their own to make sure the path ahead of them was safe. Randal was shaking in fear and Shadic was almost on the verge of a panic attack but kept his fear down.

Just then the glass shattered and a werewolf came in, Shadic couldn't help but think that the being looked strangely familiar.

"Randal. Go. Go find Biohazard or go hide. I don't care. Just...GO." Shadic ordered his younger twin. Randal didn't hesitate as he ran off in the direction that Biohazard went.

Shadic stood up and faced the werewolf, ready to fight with his bare fists if he had to.

The werewolf lunged, clawing at Shadic. Shadic jumped back but the werewolf managed to hook a claw onto Shadic's ear and tear out a chunk of it.

Shadic let out a yell of pain and held his bleeding ear before glaring at the beast before him.

"Is that all you GOT?" He growled.

The werewolf lunged again, and again Shadic jumped to dodge, but this time the werewolf got his teeth into Shadic's tail.

Shadic let out a yelp of pain as he thudded to the ground, the beast pinned the boy to the floor and started to claw and scratch.

Shadic did the best he could to protect himself, getting a few minor scratches as if the beast was trying not to get Shadic hurt. But Shadic did get a good chunk cut out from his lip.

"AGH!" Shadic yelled and tried to push the werewolf off of him. That only made the beast mad.

"STAY!" The beast suddenly yelled. Shadic froze, surprised at the sudden voice.

The werewolf lowered his head and sniffed Shadic, instantly Shadic went limp, trying to not get attacked any more.

"Hmm… You.. Fletchling Vampire.." The werewolf's english was broken, but still could be understood. "Good… I can eat you!"

'Eat?!' Shadic's thoughts screamed. Instantly Shadic surged upward and pushed the beast off him in pure fear as adrenalin pumped through his veins.

"NO!" Shadic screamed as he turned tail and ran. The werewolf let out a roar and chased after him, quickly catching up on all four legs and tackling Shadic down.

The werewolf growled and sunk his teeth into Shadic's side, earning a scream of pure pain from Shadic as he felt the teeth sink into his side and began to pull at his flesh.

"NO!" Shadic screamed as he struggled and pulled against the werewolf.

The beast kept a firm grip on Shadic as he pulled a large strip of flesh from Shadic, starting from the middle of the boy's torso down to his knee.

Shadic screamed and managed to get up despite the pain he was in and ran, not caring about blood loss and running on adrenalin.

The numbers of both the Raccats and the werewolves seemed to keep increasing.

"Where the fuck is Truth?!" Dark yelled, irritated.

"He got cornered and surrounded by some of the Raccats sir! 'Fraid he's dead," A guard said.

The sudden reality of what he had done hit Dark like a brick against his head.

'What have I done…?' he thought, but his thought was interrupted when he caught sight of a couple of Raccats bashing on a door.

"Wait a minute. That's Gorse's house! Uh-oh...Foximina! The kids!" He turned to the guard beside him, "I'm leaving you in charge!"

But before the guard could protest, Dark was gone.

Inside the house, Foxy was hidden under the floorboards, she was trying her best to keep her kids calm, saying everything would be alright.

Her son, Asurath was clinging onto her for dear life, while her daughter was quiet for the time being.

"Momma.. Lemme go." Tailsica said calmly.

"What? No!" Foxy exclaimed.

"Please momma! I can fight!" Tailsica managed to get free of her mother's grasp. "I can protect you and big brother, okay?"

"Wha...Where did you learn to fight…?!" Foxy demanded.

Tailsica didn't answer for a moment as she turned at the sound of the cellar door being smashed against.

"I learned…I learned to fight from daddy." Tailsica sighed.

"S-Sis…" Asurath said, seeming surprised.

Suddenly the cellar doors swung open and a Raccat swooped in.

Tailsica instantly flew herself against the Raccat and managed to knock it to the ground despite her small size.

The creature suddenly screeched directly into one of her ears, causing her to lose her focus and unable to hear in that ear, she just hoped it was temporary.

Seizing the opportunity, the creature kicked her back and scratched her eye in the process. The three claw marks suddenly seemed to decay to a black color.

Tailsica growled, now getting angrier. But before she had time to react, she heard a cry from her brother. She turned her head to see Foxy diving in front of him.

The creature behind her gave her another hard blow to the head, knocking her unconscious.

Eventually, she woke up hearing weak sobs. She sat up and rubbed her head, "Oof...what just happened…?"

"Mom...c'mon...get up mom…!" She turned to see her brother slumped over their mother's body, blood pouring from her throat. She slowly stood up and inched towards them.

"Asy…? Why is mommy sleeping on the floor…?" she asked, timidly.

Asurath shook his head, "She's...n-not sl-sleeping...sister…"

"What do you mean? She's not awake," she protested.

"She's...gone sister...she's n-not...c-coming...back…!" he sobbed, seeming to get frustrated.

"B-But...she's right here," Tailsica whimpered.

"Tailsica, she's not sleeping, this red stuff, it's like when you scrape your knee, it's blood. If you lose too much of it…You don't wake up, ever," Asurath said pointedly, a bit mad, but mostly sad that his mother was gone.

"B-But..."

"TAILSICA!" Asurath turned to his sister, "Mom is DEAD! She's not coming back!"

Tears fell down Asurath's face. Tailsica stared in horror at her brother, he had never raised his voice at her.

Just then they heard a clang of a sword on the floor upstairs, Tailsica didn't hesitate, she ran to the noise. Asurath tried to stop her but she ignored him and ran up the cellar stairs to the first floor of her house.

There was Dark, beaten, battered, and wounded on some parts of his body, he was standing over a dead Raccat, breathing heavily but alive.

"D-Dark!" Tailsica yelled and ran up to him before giving him a tight hug around his legs. Dark flinched a bit because she hugged around one of his wounds on his leg but he picked her up gently and hugged her just as tightly as she hugged him.

"M-Mommy won't wake up.." Tailsica whimpered, tears streaming down her face as she buried it into Dark's neck.

Asurath staggered up the steps, and didn't speak, just gave Dark a look of despair.

The moment was short lived however, as Tailsica's ears flicked up, and she started to feel strange. She pushed Dark away, seeming to stumble a bit.

"Wh-What…?" she murmured. Suddenly, she could hear a voice in her head. Kill the queen, strangle her within an inch of her life it hissed.

Within seconds, Tailsica's eyes snapped from blue, to a cold red. She stared forward, looking nearly brain-dead.

Asurath lifted an eyebrow, "Sis? You okay?"

He didn't get an answer as she rushed out the open door.

"Sis! Where are you going?! It's dangerous out there!" Asurath exclaimed.

He was about to give chase when Dark stopped him, "No. I'll get her. You need to stay safe. Go hide."

Asurath nodded and hurried back into the cellar. As for Tailsica, she was wandering aimlessly it seemed, until her eyes caught sight of Aleena.

She looked down, seeing a knife on the ground, and picked it up. She walked towards to oblivious woman.

"Hm? Oh Tailsica. What are you doing out here?" Aleena asked.

No answer.

"Tailsica? What's the matter sweetie?"

Without warning, Tailsica stabbed Aleena in the chest. Aleena cried out in pain and surprise. Tailsica was about to pull the knife out and stab her again, but something...or someone rather had grabbed her.

"Sis stop it! What're you doing?!" Asurath squeaked, pulling his sister back. She struggled, kicking and growling, causing him to fall over and drop her.

She hit her head, and seemed to come to. "Ow…! What the heck…?! Twice in one day…?!" she whined. She looked up when Dark suddenly yelled out in despair.

"Aleena!" Dark cried and ran to his wife, who was already on the ground.

"A-Aleena..?!" Tailsica whimpered. She saw the knife in Aleena's chest and let out a cry of fear before breaking free from her brother and running away from the sight.

"Sis! Come back!" Asurath yelled.

He chased after his sibling, leaving Dark and Aleena alone. He kept running after her, but came to a halt when she found she was standing completely still.

"Sis, what're you doing?!" he yelled in irritation.

He didn't get a response. He then inched closer, and saw what his sister had been looking at. Their father lay dead on the ground, not moving, not breathing.

"D-Dad…!" Asurath yelped.

"D...Daddy…" Tailsica whimpered and fell to her knees next to her father. She gently put her hands on his arm and gently shook his body.

"Daddy… Daddy please… Please wake up…" Tailsica said gently, but her voice became more urgent as she shook her father, "Daddy..! Daddy wake up! Daddy…!"

"Tailsica..." Asurath said quietly.

"DADDY!" Tailsica screamed before she threw her arms around her father's body the best that she could and sobbed into his chest fur.

She refused to move, even if Asurath tried to comfort her, she stayed on her father's body for a long time.

Slowly, and quietly, people began to come. First it was Dark, then Shadic, who was badly wounded but his twin brother was helping him stand, Biohazard, and a bunch of the villagers.

Dark went up to Gorse's body and kneeled down next to him, ignoring Tailsica and speaking to the kingdom.

"Gorse died a brave man, fighting for his kingdom, and for his family. He will be honored, and so wont those who died in battle. We won't forget them, the soldiers who died, and the innocents who died as well," Dark said calmly, "For now, we gather the bodies and bury them, we shall mourn the loved ones we lost, and then we will rebuild anew."

Tailsica looked up slightly at Dark, but he was only staring at Gorse's face.

"Go grieve for your loved ones. We all need time." He said before he lowered his voice as everyone departed.

"Goodbye my friend. I hope to see you again one day.." He murmured before moving Gorse's bangs to the side of his face and standing. Dark went to his sons, and picked Shadic up just as his boy fainted from blood loss, and walked away.

Tailsica finally sat up and wiped tears away from her face before turning to her twin.

"L-Let's… Let's go home..." She said quietly. Asurath nodded and Tailsica turned back to her father once more and giving his body a single kiss on his forehead, a final goodbye to her father, and following her twin brother.


	3. Exceeding Generatons

It was deep within the forbidden lands that two rabbits were awaiting a third party. "Are you sure he's gonna come Denis?"

"Yes! He fell for it! He's going to do everything he can to make her life a living hell! And what makes this sweeter is that she knows this brat," he turned and kicked a small bag that was squirming pointedly.

"Don't damage him too much. He's for the king to torture now after all," he was suddenly interrupted by a slightly muffled voice in the bag.

"Lemme outta here so I can squash ya!" it growled.

"Sorry, you're not my property," the sneering rabbit proceeded to snicker. His fun was ruined however when they both noticed someone step forward.

They were wearing a cloak typical of the village, the hood covering their face, "Gentlemen. You have the runt?"

Denis pushed the bag forward, "Right here your majesty."

The man picked up the bag, and tossed a satchel towards them. Denis opened it, revealing gold coins. They both sneered, "Thank you, it was a pleasure doing business with you sire."

The two rabbits scampered off, never to be seen again.

The bag was still squirming however, "Lemme out ya cowards! Afraid to face me like a man?!"

The man finally pulled down his hood, revealing in the little light there was in the forbidden lands that he was Dark. He began to walk to the mountain far off in the distance.

"I'm sure you're real strong. And that's one reason why I can't let you walk around free," he began.

"Is the other reason that you're too scared of what I'll do to you once I get out?!" the bag snapped back.

"No no. A mere child like you is far from intimidating. I want your so-called 'friend' to suffer for what she has done to me," he explained.

"Tailsica? I swear if you lay a finger on her I'll kill you!"

"Yes I'm sure you will," he remarked, rolling his eyes.

Soon they reached the mountain, and he entered the small pathway inside. He finally got to the end, and froze when he saw Harsuki chained up to the ground.

She looked up and hissed at him, "YOU MUST HAVE A DEATH WISH YOU FILTHY RAT!"

"Now now dear, I have business with this one."

Dark's ears flicked up, he knew who it was. The dark shadow came forth, revealing himself.

"Tom," Dark hissed.

"Nightshade. So, you wish to do a bidding with me? I would have thought you'd be too soft-centered for such a thing."

"I want to make her suffer," he snapped, throwing the bag to the ground. "I want you to torture him, maim him, and do not treat him with any mercy."

The dark colored fox slowly opened the bag, revealing a young hedgehog of black and red. His bangs hid one of his eyes, and he had a cold glare locked on his captors.

"Ah, I've been eyeing this one. He's certainly...powerful," he noted, pressing his index finger on the boy's nose.

The child growled, and attempted to bite him, but the fox pulled back quickly, "Eugh. Nasty little thing. Very well. I will take this...disgusting excuse for a being and treat him as the dirt he walks upon."

"Good," Dark said calmly, pulling the hood over his face once more, and taking his leave.

"And what might your name be rat?"

"Shadow. Remember it, cause I'll be the one to cut your throat when I get outta here!"

"Sure you will."

Dark continued to head home, unflinching at any noises he heard and he eventually made it through the forbidden lands and out of the Blackmist forest. With a sigh of relief, he abandoned the cloak and headed to the castle.

Once there, he walked in, and he saw Shadic in the hall, bandages on his torso and one of his legs from the wound he had received from the werewolf attack.

"Shadic how many times have I told you? You must stay in bed, your wound would reopen if you moved too much," Dark stated, but his voice remained cold.

"I got hungry, and Randal is hanging out with Biohazard in his room playing games." Shadic said.

"Then why didnt you call for them?"

"They're all the way on a different side of the castle." Shadic said calmly.

Dark sighed but gave into his son, "Very well, but I'm going to carry you if i even see so much as a speck of blood start to seep through those bandages."

Dark stayed next to his son as they walked to the kitchen. Shadic sat on a chair once they got there, a bit out of breath from lack of exercise, and Dark made him a sandwich.

"Hey dad?"

"Yes son?"

"Where did you go today? You've been gone all morning." Shadic questioned.

"I went to the whorehouse," Dark said sarcastically.

"Daaad." Shadic growled.

"I went to visit your mother's grave." Dark said, a hint of grief in his voice to help with his lie.

It was just then that Biohazard came in.

"Dad. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have piercings on you. And a tattoo" Biohazard growled. Shadic looked confused for a second before he noticed the silvery looking things on his father's ear. And then he noticed a bandage on his upper arm.

"W-what..?!" Shadic whimpered, not used to the change.

"It's none of your business Biohazard." Dark stated calmly.

"It is my business! It's been less than a month since mother died, we can't have all these changes!" Biohazard growled.

"I got drunk Biohazard, it's none of your concern what I do." Dark's voice was laced in a building rage.

"Dad, get rid of them." Biohazard growled, "Or I take Shadic and Randal, and leave."

"HAH!" Dark yelled, "You wouldn't DARE."

"Try me. Filth Blood." Biohazard taunted, Dark seemed to freeze for a moment, Filth Blood was a common insult to those who were not pure blooded Vampires.

"Get out…" Dark's voice was laced in a cold rage, almost murderous.

"D-dad..?" Shadic whimpered, purely afraid and starting to panic.

"What did you say Filth Blood?" Biohazard teased.

"GET THE FUCK OUT YOU FUCKING PRICK!" Dark screamed before throwing a wild punch at Biohazard, who managed to dodge it and made Dark's fist connect to the wall.

"GET OUT OR I RIP OUT YOUR THROAT..." Dark's eyes were covered with his bangs, and his voice was cold.

"I'll be back for the twins." Biohazard said coldly and left the room.

Dark breathed heavily, still filled with rage before looking to his son.

"What the hell are you looking at..? Get away from me before I slap that look off your face." Dark growled.

Shadic let out a yelp of fear before he ran, ignoring the fact that his wound felt like it tore open under his bandages, and ran to his twin brother.

"RANDY!" Shadic screamed, making his twin turn just in time as Shadic threw his arms around his twin brother.

"A-Alex?!" Randal yelped, "What's wrong big brother? What happened?" He had no response from his twin.

Now, Randal and Shadic had a special bond, they've had a type of... Connection since birth, they could feel what each other was feeling and could even hear each other's thoughts.

Randal could feel the way his brother was feeling, and instantly knew what was going on. His twin was having a panic attack.

The way this felt for Randal is that his brother was feeling like he couldn't do anything right, that he was a failure. This is when Randal yelled for help.

"DAD! DAD! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH SHADIC! WE NEED TO GET HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!" He yelled, just as Shadic passed out as his body went into shock from the sudden panic attack.

Dark came running and quickly grabbed the boys and took them to the hospital, where Shadic was checked in, and he wouldn't leave until he would start to respond again.

The first day at the hospital, Shadic was unconscious, only waking up to use the restroom but he didn't eat.

The second day, a nurse came in with some clean cloths for Shadic and changed the bandages for his wound.

The third day he began to eat, but he still didn't talk. But his brothers came to visit, they couldn't get a word out of him.

By the fifth day, all Shadic had done was eat, sleep, and use the restroom, but didn't do any talking.

On the sixth day, a doctor came in, and he said a simple phrase.

"Widow sweet."

Shadic's ears perked up and he looked to the doctor, a bit confused.

"Can you say that Alex?"

Shadic hesitated a moment, and slowly opened his mouth, "W...Wid...Widow... S...Swe...Sweet..." His voice was tiny, almost scared, but the doctor could see Shadic's body physically relax.

"Good... Care to tell me what happened...?" He asked calmly.

"I...I don't... I don't want... To talk... about it..." Shadic whimpered.

"Very well," the doctor said. "Shadic, I'm going to set you up with a therapist, he will help you okay? Every day while you're at school and after you eat lunch, you go to him okay?"

"W...Why...?" Shadic questioned.

"He will help you, I promise. Now, tomorrow you're going to go home now that you've begun to respond. And Monday, I want you to go to school and try to meet with a man named Dr. Allen before school to get to know him a tiny bit, okay?" The doctor calmly said.

"... O...Okay…"

"Good. Now Alex, get some rest, I will tell your brothers, if you get close to another panic attack, all they have to say is 'Widow Sweet' and you might be fine. Goodnight Shadic." The doctor stood, but Shadic quickly grabbed his wrist.

"Can...Can you... Send in... Randy...? And... Let him... Stay with me...?" Shadic questioned. The doctor hesitated before he smiled and nodded before leaving.

After a few minutes, Randal came in, and quickly ran to Shadic. Shadic and Randal hugged each other tightly and didn't let go for a long time, eventually Randal ended up in the hospital bed with Shadic and they were both sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world.

The two distraught twins staggered behind the lady that had brought them to their uncle's home. They had been stuck in the orphanage all night, as well as many other children.

"This is it," the woman said cheerfully. But her spirit was destroyed as her eyes fell upon the children once more.

She quickly made way to the door and knocked softly. The door opened, but no one seemed to be there. Then the woman suddenly jumped back as Ganer hung from the top of the doorway, "Hell-ooo! Who are you?"

The woman adjusted her glasses, "I am Miss Hantinine. I am a worker at the village orphanage. I'm afraid I've come with terrible news."

Ganer frowned, and jumped down, "Yes?"

"I'm afraid that your brother died during an attack in the village last night. I have your niece and nephew here, and the law requires that they stay with you till the funeral is over and the will is acquired as tradition goes."

The woman moved aside to reveal the twins.

"Tailsica! Asurath!" Ganer exclaimed.

The children's frowns subsided once they saw their uncle, "Uncle Ganer!" They cried and both practically tackled their uncle to give them a hug.

Ganer let out a playful grunt and fell down dramatically just to amuse them.

"Hey kids! It's been a long time! How have you been?" He chuckled.

"Could be better..." Asurath said, and both the twins' faces fell again. Gorse frowned a bit, and looked to Miss Hantinine.

"Thank you for bringing them here. I'll take care of them." He said.

"It was nice to meet you sir. Have a good day, and I'm dreadfully sorry for your losses," Miss Hantinine bowed, then left.

The trio stepped inside, and Tailsica seemed more saddened then her brother. She staggered over to the couch and started watching cartoons, not even looking at her uncle.

Asurath and Ganer both looked at each other and shrugged. They decided to leave her be.

The next few days seemed to last forever, and it didn't help that Tailsica was silent since arriving. It wasn't until the day they were expecting the will that she had finally spoken up.

Asurath had just woken up, and prepared to get out of bed when he heard a familiar voice call, "Asy?"

He turned to see his sister wide awake, "Yeah sis?"

"Promise me we'll always be together. That you won't leave me no matter what. W-We're twins...we should stick together…" she shakily held out her pinky finger, waiting for his answer.

Asurath seemed hesitant, he knew that was a risky promise to make. He sighed, and locked his own pinky finger with his sister's, "I promise."

Tailsica smiled, however they were interrupted by their uncle's sudden calls for them. They knew what it was for.

The twins steadily traversed down the steps, and over to their uncle. They also noticed Dark was there too, "Um...uncle...why is sir Dark here?" Asurath asked.

"Well...he's here to read the will for us. He is the king after all Asurath," Ganer answered.

Asurath seemed skeptical, but knew he had to be polite. They listened carefully as he went through the usual, what they left behind and for whom, but he seemed to stop at something at the bottom.

"What is it sir Dark?" Asurath asked worriedly.

"Th-The twins...they are to be separated…" Dark murmured.

Tailsica's ears flattened against her head and she shook a bit in disbelief. "No... N-No w...we can't..." She whispered.

Asurath couldn't take it any longer, he let tears run down his cheeks, "Why...WHY?!" Asurath suddenly screamed, startling even Dark.

"Asurath calm down!" Ganer tried, but his hand was smacked away, "NO! I PROMISED HER!"

"No... I don't wanna go away..!" Tailsica whimpered.

Dark looked to the little girl and his ears flattened against his head a bit.

"I'm sorry Tailsica... It's in the will... I cannot change that…" He said soothingly.

Asurath continued to sob, eventually to everyone's surprise, Tailsica put a hand on his shoulder, "It...it's...o-okay A-Asy...if th-this is what m-mommy and d-daddy wanted…" she choked on her words, "Th-then I guess...w-we don't have much of...a-a choice…"

"I-I'm sorry it had to be this way you two.." Dark muttered, seeming sad.

The two siblings embraced for a long time, until they finally broke it.

"So…" Ganer started, "who exactly is going to take who…?"

"Tailsica is going to me… And Asurath is staying with you..." Dark said.

Asurath sniffled, and watched as his sister went upstairs to pack her belongings. He turned to look at Dark, noticing he seemed nervous, but didn't question it.

Eventually Tailsica returned with a couple bags, hugging her uncle and brother once more before following Dark out the door. Asurath rushed to the window once the door shut and watched as the carriage outside disappeared down the pathway.

Inside the carriage, Tailsica sat quietly for a long time. Dark actually felt sorry for the poor child, but he couldn't let that show.

"Tailsica... Did you see the horses?" He questioned.

Tailsica's ears perked up and she looked to Dark. He nodded to the front window in the carriage, indicating for her to look.

Tailsica moved to where she sat on her knees and looked out the window, she saw two horses, one jet black, and one pure white with a single black stripe on its back.

"They... They are very pretty..." Tailsica murmured.

"If you behave while you're with me, I might let Shadic teach you how to ride one," Dark stated.

Tailsica couldn't help but to smile and she sat back down.

The carriage finally stopped after a while, and they entered the massive castle. Tailsica stood and looked in awe at the large, long hallway she had just stepped into.

However, while observing this, she did not notice when Dark came up behind her, striking her head and knocking her out instantly. He turned to the nearest servant, "Throw those bags in the garbage or something."

Dark then picked up the unconscious child and took him to a metal door labeled "Dungeon Chambers."

When Tailsica came to, her head hurt like hell. But she got past that fact once she noticed her surroundings. She was in a damp room, entirely comprised of brick.

She could feel something on her arm, and turned to see a skeleton. She screeched and backed away, until she felt a tug on her wrist.

Lifting it up, she noticed it was cuffed, with a chain leading to the wall. "Wh-Where am I…? What's going on…?! Was it all a dream…?!"

"NO," a familiar yet menacing voice hissed. The door to the room opened, and standing in the doorway was none other than Dark. His eyes were red with hatred, and gave Tailsica a nasty glare.

Tailsica flinched, "Sir Dark? What's going on? Why am I in here? And why am I all chained up?"

"Because, Tailsica, I want you to suffer. I'm going to make your life painful, miserable, and I will do everything I possibly can to make sure you aren't happy," he snapped.

"B-But why? Wh-What did I do?!" she shrieked.

"Because you murdered my wife! You killed her, without any inkling of hesitation! I don't care why you did it...but you did, and I'm going to make you pay," he explained.

But Tailsica remained confused, and terrified, "Miss Aleena? I-I never did that! I...I've never killed anyone!"

"ENOUGH!" Dark suddenly yelled, causing Tailsica to flinch once more. "It's time you learned a little lesson in manners little missy. Talking back to me is unwise."

Without warning, he struck her once across the face, causing her to fall over. She held the cheek he had hit and stared up at him, tears in her eyes. "P-Please...stop…!"

"You didn't show any mercy to Aleena. Why should I show mercy to you?" Dark growled.

"I didn't kill her!" Tailsica whined.

He struck her once more, this time much harder. He seemed to be getting more angry by the second. Tailsica let out a cry of pain, but she didn't try to convince him of her innocence again.

Dark couldn't help himself, he laughed at the girl for giving up so easily.

"Already giving up so easily? Come now! I was just starting to have FUN!" Dark exclaimed as he kicked the girl in the leg. Tailsica just whimpered, but made no move to defend herself.

"You're no fun…" Dark growled, "I think I should leave you for a while, see if you gain some fight in a few days."

With that, Dark turned, and walked out of the dungeons, leaving the girl slumped against the wall.

As soon as Tailsica heard the door close behind Dark, she began to struggle against her chains. She didnt dare make too much noise, but she did her best to try and escape but with no luck.

"Don't! He'll make you regret it!" a frail, yet seemingly energetic tone shouted from the blackness of the room.

"Wh-Who's there?!" Tailsica shrieked fearfully.

A smaller, nearly bone-thin, and nearly pale girl crawled out from the darkness. She had brown fur, and was clearly a hedgehog.

"Did...did he do this to you…?!" She asked, concerned.

"Yes. He's drunk so much he probably forgot he threw me in here. I've hidden in the dark of the room every time I hear the door upstairs open."

"Wh-Why did he throw you in here?"

"Because I rejected his snot-nosed son. That's why. What about you? Why does he think you killed his wife? You barely look capable of hurting a fly."

"I don't know. Um...my name's Tailsica by the way."

"Daisy. Wait...Tailsica…? Are you...the twin sister of Asurath? The top junior peace-maker in training?! Oh he's so dreamy! I love his cute little face!"

"Guess that means my face is cute too, since I'm his twin. That's nice to know."

They both giggled. "Well, at least I'll be able to visit my uncle soon."

Daisy's eyes widened in disbelief, "Do you seriously think that maniac is going to let you out of here?! I haven't been outside in months!"

Tailsica's ears flattened, "He has to. Something about...'legal requirements.'"

Daisy sighed, she truly thought that Tailsica was foolish for believing she was going to leave.

But even after the whole week, having seen her new friend endure hits and kicks and things she wish she could unsee, she was surprised to see Dark unlocking her cellmate's chains at the end of that week.

"You will not tell anyone about this, or I swear to god I will kill you." Tailsica shivered in fear and started to cry, even though she didn't understand death so well, she herself feared it. She nodded and wiped her eyes.

Daisy watched sadly as her friend left with the monster the world foolishly called their king. Both Ganer and Asurath noticed Tailsica's bruises and cuts, but she claimed it was from tripping and falling so much. And that worked for a long time surprisingly.

And so the vicious cycle began, she'd go see her brother and her uncle, and go back to her cold cell awaiting her in the castle when the weekend was over.

Daisy had been good company to her, but she was too miserable to be cheered by her new friend's upbeat spirit. One day things took a turn for the worse.

She had gone to her uncle's house as usual, only her brother was standing outside waiting for her. "Oh, hey Asy. What's up?" she asked. Asurath flattened his ears, and rubbed his arms.

"Sis...I'm...I'm going away for a while…" This earned him a skeptical look, "Going away?"

Asurath sighed, "You know how I've been training to become a peace-maker?"

She nodded, "I...I have to go on a journey of 'self discovery' and...I have to leave this place...I won't be back for a long time…" he explained, carefully.

She was still confused, "Like how long?"

Asurath cringed, hoping in his head that she wouldn't ask.

"Um...like...y...years…" he mumbled. He could see his sister's face fill with tears, and knew what was coming.

"Y-Years…? But...but...y-you said...you said that you would be here for me…! Why are you leaving me again…?!" she stammered out.

Asurath was becoming distraught, he hated seeing his sister like this. Then, slowly, her saddened look, turned to an expression of hatred and anger.

She ran inside, ignoring her brother's calls. She refused to sleep with him and slept on the couch that weekend. She didn't even bid him goodbye when it was time to go.

That was when she lost her hope. She didn't respond to Daisy, and barely showed that she was in pain when Dark beat her. It seemed things were only getting worse. One night, however, she seemed to find a glimmer of hope in her dark world.

She was enduring a beating as usual, while her friend watched from the darkness, trying to silence her whimpers.

But suddenly everyone heard someone yell, "STOP!"

Tailsica noticed there wasn't another hit. She looked up only to see a familiar looking wolf standing between her and Dark. "Shadic, go back to bed!" Dark hissed.

But Shadic shook his head, "No dad. I'm not letting you hurt her. She's just a kid, what's wrong with you?!"

"You would stand up for the vampire that killed your mother?!" Dark growled.

"Even if that is true...doing this doesn't accomplish anything! Doing this won't bring her back!"

"I don't care! She deserves to suffer! She's worthless!"

"SHUT UP!" Shadic suddenly screamed.

He had never yelled at his father before. He had gotten grumpy as a youngling, but never angry.

"Sh-She's not...worthless...y-y...you are…! You're pathetic…! Beating a child for revenge…! Revenge is pathetic...revenge disgusts me…you disgust me...you will not lay a finger on her so long as I stand!"

Dark growled, and went upstairs. Shadic stayed, and went to check on the frightened girl.

"Are you alright? I know he probably messed you up real bad."

Tailsica nodded, "I-I'm fine. C-Could you bring some food? F-For my friend…?"

Shadic looked perplexed but went and fetched some food anyways. He brought back a sandwich, setting it on the floor as Tailsica had instructed.

A small hand reached out to his surprised, and snatched the sandwich off of the plate. Tailsica giggled, while Shadic had already backed off to the door.

"D-Do you need anything else…?" he asked.

She shook her head, and waved goodbye as he went upstairs. The next day to Tailsica's surprise, Dark unlocked her chains and dragged her upstairs.

Daisy saw this, and was sure he was about to kill her. However, she couldn't do much to stop it, and was forced to stay still.

Tailsica constantly asked him where she was being taken, but he didn't answer. Eventually they were in a small clearing in the forest, a beautiful lake in the center.

Eventually Dark became agitated with Tailsica's constant pestering. He slammed her up against the nearest tree, baring his fangs and hissing.

Tailsica screamed, but it was too late, he had already bitten her. She struggled, trying to get free as he sucked out her blood, but it was useless.

She was too weak and small. Just when she thought she was done for, a small black cat jumped up onto Dark's face and began scratching at him mercilessly. She gasped as she fell to the ground, only seeing a familiar blur of black and red, before passing out.

Shadow was distraught, he had given up long ago. He laid in his cold cage chamber, a shock collar tightly wrapped around his neck.

He tried to gather his thoughts, never feeling so defeated in his life.

He began to think about his life before this. He remembered how he grew up in an orphanage, how he was bullied for having a rare capability of controlling power sealed within the vampire emeralds, how the only one he could turn to was the very woman running the place, his only real mother, Miss Merelda.

And how he met his friend, Tailsica.

He had been running around recklessly as usual, when they had bumped into each other. After they tumbled to the ground, their eyes locked.

They had never seen each other's kind before. Shadow, like the children at the orphanage was mortal. While this girl...this strange girl had abnormally long fangs.

But he also noticed the wings, and began to think that she was a demon, but kept his cool. They hung out that afternoon, and hit it off well.

Shadow smiled at that memory. It was his favorite. But his smile fell to a frown when he realized he had no way of keeping her safe.

He knew someone was after her, the day he was kidnapped he had been told so. He looked up, seeing a shadow in the small entrance to his area.

But it wasn't HellFrame, it was a floating entity of some sort. "Do not worry...I will help you…" it said.

Shadow was scared out of his wits, no...no he was terrified. He was trying relentlessly to make sure she was alive, no matter what he had to do.

He made a quick effort to bandage the bite mark on Tailsica's neck, and patch up her other wounds as well. He was just finishing bandaging her arm when she finally awoke.

She groaned, and sat up, her hand resting on her head, "Ugh...wha…"

Suddenly her mind snapped awake as she realized what happened. She began to panic, breathing heavily. Shadow himself began to panic at this, "H-Hey calm down!"

Tailsica screamed, and jumped up, clinging to the ceiling. He was perplexed at this, "U-Um...i-it's ok I...I helped ya outta there. Y-You're safe now that guy's not gonna hurt you anymore."

Tailsica continued to shiver, but was still listening, "H-Helped me…? Y...You saved me…?"

Shadow gulped, choosing his words carefully, "Y-Yeah. I kinda know that guy who um...attacked you...he got me locked away for years. It was scary."

Tailsica seemed to calm down at this. She slowly descended back down onto the couch she had been lying upon.

"Um...m-my name's Tailsica. What's your name?" she asked, shyly.

This had answered Shadow's question he had been keeping in his mind since he saw her, "I'm...I'm Shadow. Nice to...meet you…" he sighed, seeming depressed now.

Tailsica's ears flicked at this, "Hey! Don't be sad! You saved me!"

"Sad? I-I'm not sad. Men don't get sad!" Shadow said.

Tailsica pouted a bit and put her index fingers on the corners of Shadow's mouth and moved them upwards.

"You got a frowny face, you my friend, are sad." Tailsica stated.

Shadow was surprised at this and couldn't help an embarrassed blush forming on his cheeks but gently grabbed Tailsica's wrists and moved her hands with a smile.

"Okay, you win, Tailsica," he murmured. Tailsica giggled a bit and sat down on the couch, then realized something.

"Is this a treehouse? HOW DID YOU GET A COUCH IN HERE?!" she questioned.

"Well...I'll be honest, I didn't build this place so I dunno. But nobody ever came here so I assumed it was abandoned. My mom brought me here. I just stay here while she's at work," he explained.

"Mom? Where is she now?" she asked.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "At work, silly."

"But then who's watching you?" she persisted, curiously.

"Well, I told her I didn't need to be watched, but...Luka! C'mere boy!" he suddenly yelled out the window.

Suddenly there was a loud roar, and Tailsica gulped, "Dr-dr-dr-"

Her thought was interrupted as a large brown dragon flew in through the large window. He roared, seemingly in excitement as Shadow stroke it's head.

"Tailsica, meet my dragon, Lu-" he turned, but didn't see her. "Um...Tailsica?" He tried look behind the couch and found her crouched down.

He chuckled, "Are you alright?"

"Dragon." She stated, "BIIIIIIIG dragon."

Still chuckling, he helped up the startled fox, "It's okay, he couldn't hurt a fly. Go on, he won't bi- I mean...he'll be nice."

Slowly but surely, he lead her over to the creature, taking her wrist and gently placing her hand on his head. The creature snorted, seeming excited again.

"Um...h-hello…" she said, nervously as she stroked it. "Wh-What's his name…?"

"Luka. I found him when he was just a baby. Guess he lost his mother. But I brought 'im in with me," he explained.

"He's cute. Kinda like you," she said, her first smirk forming on her face.

Shadow blushed and scowled, "I'm NOT cute. I'm awesome."

Tailsica rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah? I can walk on walls and shapeshift, what can you do mister smarty pants?"

Shadow smirked, "Oh...nothin' special...just...teleportation, bending time and space, traveling through time and space, and using vampire energy to create weapons made of pure electricity."

"REALLY?!" Tailsica exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's quite easy really, all you have to do is focus all your energy to one location to travel to there." Shadow started, but Tailsica wasn't listening anymore, she was distracted.

"Uh... Tailsica?" Shadow asked.

Tailsica didn't answer as she seemed in deep thought, then her eyes suddenly widened, "I can't hear in one of my ears…"

"What?" Shadow asked.

Tailsica pointed to the ear that she couldn't hear out of, "I can't hear anything here!" She exclaimed.

"Whao whao! Calm down! What do you mean?"

"There is nothing that can be heard in this ear!" She said.

"Were you listening to anything super loud? Like um...screaming?"

"... When the Werewolves and Raccats attacked..." She whispered, "One of them screamed in my ear."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that…" Shadow suddenly seemed sad again, as he looked down and away from Tailsica.

"Are you okay?" she asked, afraid she had said something to upset him.

"I'm fine…" he then got up and went over to a little door hidden by the floorboards, opened it, and went down.

Luka followed after him, and Tailsica just sat on the couch with a little blanket. Somehow the scent seemed familiar.

Later that night, Shadow was watching Tailsica sleep, seeming unable to himself. He scowled. He wanted to make Dark pay, to make him suffer. But he knew he couldn't just walk into the castle that easily.

His ears flicked up at a soft snoring noise that sounded like roaring slightly. He turned to see his trusty dragon sleeping soundly in the corner, and smirked as he began thinking out his devious plan.

All was quiet at the castle, Shadic was up studying since he was behind in school, while Dark was in the throne room drinking as usual.

But everyone seemed to jump at a sudden crashing sound, as the ground itself began to shake. Dark heard someone calling out, "DRAGON!"

He got up, about to grab his son to evacuate when something crashed through the window. It was Shadow. Dark growled, instantly recognizing the child, "So, the brat has finally found me."

"It's Shadow you bastard. I'll make you pay for everything you've done to her!" he hissed.

"Come and get me then, won't be long before that dragon comes in and kills you anyways."

"Wrong again, I sent him in as a distraction, that way no one will get in my way! Now die!" Shadow suddenly pulled out a wooden stake and began attacking Dark.

Despite his size, Shadow had more power over him with his powers. He lifted up the stake once he had Dark where he wanted him, "Say goodnight."

Suddenly something grabbed him, and he felt a sharp pain in his neck, like something was biting him. He turned, only to see Shadic was the one biting him. However, he wasn't sucking Shadow's blood.

Shadow used the energy he possessed to concoct a spear and threw it in Shadic's face, causing him to let go.

Shadow put his hand on the bite and stared at his attacker.

"You...traitor..." Shadow growled.

Shadic just scowled and wiped the blood off his chin.

"You attacked my father Shadow…so I had to do what I could to stop you." He stated before licking the blood off his hand.

"Hm…mortal...quite tasty..." He murmured.

"What're you doing...?!" Shadow growled. He saw Shadic's pupils turn to slits and most of the light fade from his eyes, Shadic was now a pure blooded Vampire.

"I want more." Shadic stated before he lunged at Shadow. Shadow quickly dodged and ran as Shadic gave chase. They ran through the halls, with Shadic quickly gaining ground on Shadow.

Shadow had no other choice, he veered to the side, and crashed through the glass of a window. He was five stories above ground, but luckily Luka caught him.

Shadic got to the window to see Luka flying away with Shadow and growled.

"No one attacks my family..." he growled before he turned away and went back to his father.

Laughter filled the small bungalow home. It took quite a while before it had calmed, "Okay...what's the worst thing you ever did as a kid?" Shadow asked.

Tailsica thought for a moment, "Wellllll...I did steal my brother's cookie once when he wasn't looking. What about you?"

"Ah-ah! Can't ask the same question twice in a row," Shadow reminded her.

She rolled her eyes, "Fiiiinnne. Um...I'm sure the answer is obvious but what's your favorite color?"

"Purple," he stated.

Tailsica blinked, "What?"

"What? were you expecting me to say black? Red?" he retorted, seeming more curious than angry.

"...Kiiiinnnnda..." Tailsica said slowly. Shadow couldn't help but to chuckle.

Shadow suddenly smirked, "Who do you have a crush on?"

Tailsica blushed, "Wh-What? What makes you think I have a crush on anyone?!"

"Your constant staring off into space and giggling must've tipped me off," he said sarcastically.

"N-No one!" Tailsica yelped.

"I dare you to say it."

"Nope!"

"Triple Dog Dare you," He said.

"Gah! The triple dog dare!" Tailsica gasped, seeming to get into a playful mood, "Oh no! Now I must say it! Don't I?"

"Oh yeah," Shadow smirked and crossed his arms a bit, seeming a bit proud of himself.

"Well, if you must know, its Luka," Tailsica flat out lied.

"Wait what?!" Shadow yelped.

Tailsica giggled, "Just kidding! Alright, fine, I'll tell you, if you tell me."

"Crush? Surely you're kidding! I don't need a woman. I am the ultimate life form!"

"The ultimate life form that lives in an abandoned treehouse?" she retorted, unamused.

"F-Fine...um...geez…" he blushed, rubbing the back of his head trying hard not to look her in the eyes. "Um...h-how do I say this…? I um...I kinda have a crush on…"

Tailsica smiled, "Yeeeeesss?"

"YOU OKAY?! I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU!" Shadow quickly slapped both his hands over his mouth, to keep from speaking further.

Tailsica's cheeks flushed red, and her bangs swept over her eyes.

Oh god...she's going to kill me…! Shadow thought. Tailsica stayed still for a few minutes and then started to giggle.

Shadow's ears flicked up, and his look of embarrassment changed to one of confusion. He moved his hands away from his mouth, "What's so funny?"

"Oh...it's just that...I was going to say the same thing about you," she answered.

Shadow's ears flattened, and he froze, "What?"

This only caused her to giggle more, "You're so cute when you're confused."

"Y-You're joking.. Right?" He asked.

"Nope! I'm telling you the truth Shadow. I like you." She giggled.

"Really?"

"Eeyup," She said, "I think I've always had one on you, well, since we got older. Not entirely sure about when we were kids."

"I always did. Even when we were kids. But I thought that you'd probably never even go for me, much less ever get any men. You never seemed to be into relationships at all really," he said, sadly looking to the floor.

She lifted up his chin, making him look her in the eye, "Well...now we can enjoy this moment for what it is now…" she said in a surprisingly sweet tone.

Shadow's ears flicked upward as she kissed him. He was startled by this, sure she had teasingly kissed his cheek before but not this.

Shadow stayed still a moment before he grabbed Tailsica and kissed her back with all his might, afraid that the moment would be lost if he didn't respond to her affection.

Tailsica was a bit surprised at his reaction, but she expected a reaction similar to what she received, her eyes closed and they both were lost in a moment of passion.

Eventually they broke the kiss and stared into eachother's eyes for a long moment. Shadow was blushing, badly. He suddenly pulled her close, hugging her.

"I won't let anything hurt you...ever...I promise…" he whispered. Tailsica was surprised, but got distracted by how soft and warm the tuft of fur on his chest was.

She nuzzled it, blushing she murmured, "Fluffy…" before falling asleep. Shadow blushed, but smiled. He picked up the slumbering fox and gently laid her on the couch, pulling the only blanket over her.

"Goodnight...my love."

The next few weeks things seemed to be looking up for the two newly bonded mates. Until one day Tailsica seemed rather quiet.

"Tailsica? Is everything okay?" Shadow asked, seeming concerned.

"...I'm going...to go see my brother…" she hissed acidly.

"Your brother?" he said, but then he remembered, today was her birthday. Her 118th to be exact.

"Tailsica...are you sure about this?" She nodded, bangs shuttering out her eyes. "Do you want me to take yo-"

"NO!" Tailsica suddenly screeched. But she quickly calmed down, "N-No...I have to do this on my own Shadow…"

He carefully inched over to his mate, gently moving her bangs to stare into her sapphire blue eyes. He frowned, then sighed, "Alright…"

"Thank you Shadow…" She whispered. She then turned, and left through the door in the floorboards. Shadow sighed, all he could do is wait.

Now Asurath had been on his journey of self-discovery for years, just as he had said he would be. However, it was rather difficult for anyone to get a hold of him due to this.

However, Tailsica was persistent. She went into the village, gathering any information she could, the closest thing she got was that he was last sighted in the Blackmist Forest.

It was the only option she had, so she carefully tread into the damp forest. She walked around for a long time, until she sighed and decided she should look elsewhere.

However, she then realized she was lost. She began to panic, running around until she bumped into something. She glanced up, and saw a black fox glaring down at her.

"Ah, one of the little trolls. Thought I might find you here. Too bad your brother got away with his stupid child before I could get him. But I think for now I'll settle with you."

"Wh-What…?" Tailsica said, shakily. Suddenly the fox cried out in pain and fell over, for he had received a very sudden hard blow to the head.

Tailsica sat up, ready to run if it was another person that looked like trouble. But was shocked to see none other than her own twin. She gasped, and grinned.

She did not receive the same reaction however, but a cold glare, "What're you doing here?! You do know what can happen to you in this place right?!"

Her smile fell, she had not been scolded for a long time, "I-I was looking for you."

This seemed to make Asurath angrier, "Me? Me? You were looking for me? I told you not to follow me did I not?!"

Tailsica scowled, "Well ex-cuse me for missing my big brother! It is our birthday after all!"

"I honestly don't care. I tell you not to follow me, you follow me, I tell you not to go here, you go here, I tell you not to lie, and you lie! Why can't you just grow up for once and listen?!" Asurath continued.

"I just wanted to see you! But I guess you don't want to see me…" she said coldly, her eyes drifting downward.

This caught Asurath's attention, and he finally snapped out of his anger. However, he noticed something about her eyes, were they...turning red…?

"S-Sis I...it's not like that I just…" he was cut off when Tailsica suddenly screamed in outrage, tears flowing from her eyes.

"I HATE YOU! YOU ALWAYS LEAVE ME BEHIND! YOU ALWAYS FORGET ABOUT ME! AND YOU NEVER TALK TO ME, NEVER CALL ME, OR EVEN COME TO SEE ME!" she screamed through sobs, her eyes glowing red with hatred and anger.

She ripped off the necklace she was wearing - which he had given her when they were young - and threw it to the ground.

She turned, and ran, not caring if she was only going to deeper into the forest or not. She just kept running, ignored any screams she heard from her brother, and was only aiming to get back to her home.

Eventually, she found the lake, and through choked sobs she screamed out her mate's name. He came quickly, having waited and not leaving the tree house once.

"T-Tailsica! What's wrong?! What happened?!" He asked, but his only answer was a tight hug followed by crying. He hugged her back tightly, trying quietly to calm her.

"D-Don't leave me..." She whimpered between her sobs.

Shadow gently pet her head and said that he would never do so. Eventually she calmed down.

When she looked at him, he noticed that her eyes were red. Which they only did when she was angry, and she was clearly upset, but this seemed different. "What happened Tailsica...?" Shadow whispered.

"I-I was l-looking for Asurath...I-I managed t-to find him but a-all he did was yell at me," She hiccuped, "I…I just wanted to s-see him...to see h-his face again...I guess he didn't want to see me…"

"Tailsica..." Shadow whispered.

"I...I don't want to talk about it anymore...I just...I just want to go to sleep..." She muttered.

"Alright...I'll be up there soon..." Shadow spoke softly.

Tailsica stood and went back to their treehouse and lay down on the couch without a blanket. She was asleep within moments.

Shadow stayed outside though, hearing running footsteps that were quickly getting louder. Then he saw Asurath running up and stood.

Asurath ran up and put his hands on his knees, one hand grasping the necklace Tailsica had thrown away, and took deep breaths to try and get air back into his lungs.

"So you came after her? I'm surprised at you," Shadow said coldly.

"O-Of…course I…did…!" Asurath gasped between breaths, "She...ran...off...!"

"Well of course she ran off you prick! You yelled at her!" Shadow yelled.

"She was in the Blackmist Forest!" Asurath exclaimed, getting his breath back by the second.

"I don't care where she was! You hurt her feelings Asurath T. Fox, and I won't accept that," Shadow growled, an angry look in his eyes.

"S-Shadow...? Why are you looking at me like that...?"

"Get the fuck away from here. And don't come back until you can fix your fuck up," Shadow growled, "Or I will make sure you wont leave here again with your body fully in tact."

"Why are you acting like this? Just let me talk to her!"

Shadow shook his head, "It is a vampire's duty to protect his mate at all costs. Leave here Asurath, and don't come back."

"Mate…? I-"

"ARE YOU DEAF?! I SAID GO!"

Asurath ran off, startled by Shadow's sudden temper. Shadow sighed, and went inside.

He only saw those red eyes from then on. He didn't know what happened, but it had definitely changed his mate. She was just as distant and vague as he was, and had a temper like a raging lion.

He had always feared this sort of thing would happen, but he feared it would have been because of him. He loved her all the same, but it just wasn't the same girl he fell in love with.

Even so, he was focused on other things. He had been working hard lately to earn some money so that he and his mate could live in a real home. Eventually, somehow, he did.

Nobody ever really knew what his job was, he even kept it secret from Tailsica. She was overjoyed anyways.

It took a long time after many months for Shadow to gain the courage, but he had finally proposed to Tailsica, and she said yes of course.

He was more than stressed out about their big day, even mere hours beforehand he had been triple-checking everything.

Years had passed, and eventually, they had kids of their own. The first two, were twins of different races. One was a hedgehog, who had black stripes in her hair and on her arms, the rest of her coat being orange, and baring blue eyes. They named her Emily.

The other was a fox, also orange and with black stripes in her hair. Her eyes were red. She was named Margona. Margo for short. Then a couple years after they had a son.

He was also a fox, looking mostly like his father with black fur, and red stripes and eyes. His name was Tyler.

Margo and Emily seemed to get along quite well, Emily being younger by 5 seconds. They would always play in the forest, since their father had shown them around a lot.

Things seemed to be looking up for the whole family, but little by little it began to fall apart.

One day Margo and Emily were walking about the forest as usual, when they reached a rather dim area. Margo - being easily distracted - got lost in a firefly.

Emily however, caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She saw a young boy that looked a lot like her father, but purple and gray.

The boy motioned for her to follow, and she did so. Margo hadn't noticed, being amazed by the fireflies, but eventually snapped to when she heard thunder.

She looked up, and saw rain clouds rolling in. "Aww!" Margo whined, "Oh well...guess we'll have to come back tomorrow Emmy. Let's go."

She turned, only to see her twin was no where to be seen, "Emmy? Emmy where are you? C'mon stop hiding we have to go. Emmy? Emmy?!" her voice began to crack.

Thunder sounded once more, and rain began to pour hard, soaking the young girl, and burning her badly. But she seemed to not care.

"EMILY! EMILY COME OUT THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

Shadow had been looking for his two daughters for what seemed like hours. They hadn't come to dinner, so he thought they had gotten lost.

He heard sobbing near a small cave, and turned to see Margo hiding in it, trying to stay out of the rain. He ran to his distraught daughter, glad to see she was safe.

"Margona! Are you alright? Where's your sister?" he asked.

Margo sniffled, sobbed, then burst out crying. He held her tightly, rubbing her back and telling her it was going to be okay.

Getting home wasn't any better either, as Tailsica seemed horrified to hear one of her children was missing, and in the rain no less.

"I-It...It was all my fault…!" Margo sobbed, "I-I wasn't paying any attention to her…! I-I sh-should've...I...I…!"

Tailsica gave her saddened daughter a hug, "It's okay sweetie, it's not your fault."

"I should have kept an eye on her!" Margo sobbed.

"It's alright. In the morning we'll go look for her, okay? Emily is smart enough to stay out of the rain and stay safe." Tailsica whispered.

Margo sniffled but eventually fell asleep in her mothers' arms. Tailsica looked up at Shadow, and they both knew what each other was thinking. Where could their daughter be?

But they had done as they told their daughter, and began a search, but it seemed to go nowhere. There wasn't any sign of her in the forest, or even the village.

Shadow had hesitantly suggested the possibility she had wandered into Blackmist or even the forbidden lands, but Tailsica insisted she already knew both were dangerous.

After a long time, they seemed to lose hope that their other child was still out there, and stopped talking about it. Things didn't get any better in the coming years either.

Their son, Tyler, had been refusing to come out of fledgling-hood, eating junk foods to keep his hunger for blood at bay.

He started to feel nauseous and his father insisted he lay down while he called an old friend to see what was wrong. They weren't prepared for what it was.

He had a deadly disease known amongst the vampire race called Vampire Sickness. The cause was unknown, and the disease itself was incurable.

Purebloods have a high chance of surviving this disease however, while other breeds don't. But a fledgling on their own catching it, was going to die. There was never one who survived it.

Though Shadow and Tailsica were devastated, Margo seemed to take this news the hardest. She had already lost her sister, and now she was going to lose her brother too.

Shadow's friend he had called in the first place, Diana, offered to take care of him so that they would be less worried. They reluctantly agreed.

Margo all the while was taking things extremely badly. She wouldn't talk to anyone, look at anyone, and hardly ever fed.

But her parents were relieved when she said she was going to go to the forest. They thought she'd never show any positive progress.

But that day, it rained. And she sat there, letting herself get burned. She passed out, but woke up in her bed, seeing not her parents, but a ragged wolf in farmer's clothes.

He introduced himself as Fiyero, he was a simple farmboy who had just moved into town and wanted to get a good layout of the forest.

They became close friends eventually, though Margo was still severely shy. Her parents were trying desperately to get her enrolled in school, but all her time in depression made it impossible to educate her.

Fiyero offered to tutor her until she was legally able to attend educational facilities. Eventually she was enrolled to a local school, and - lucky for her - it was the same one Fiyero went to.

Fiyero himself was protective of her during school. Margo always trudged behind him, never speaking to anyone. "Hey, Margie, wanna meet my guy friends? They're a hoot!"

She nodded, slowly. And it was at lunch she finally met one of the two boys. "Hey guys, long time no see," he greeted. The boy's jaw dropped seeing Margo, "Whao...Fiyo, who's the beauty?"

Fiyero growled at this, "You keep yer filthy hand offa her ya hear me Shadic?! She's my friend and she's not yours to harass."

"I wasn't harassing her, I was complimenting her," he retorted in defense, but Fiyero gave him a look of annoyance, " Oh shut up. You have slept with every girl here, excluding Jennifer, Jill, and Chime...we all know what you're thinking you creep."

"You're one to talk mister two ways," he snapped back. Fiyero rolled his eyes, "Margo, this is Shadic. Shadic, this here is Margo."

"Pretty name for a pretty lady," Shadic said smugly. Margo seemed unfazed, and depressed, "Oh...you must be mistaken...I'm not pretty at all."

Shadic was taken aback, surprised by the unusual response. Fiyero cringed, and tried to change the subject, "Where's Andy?"

"He's practicing his driving today," Shadic said, catching on to Fiyero's frail attempt to lighten the mood. "He won't be back till tomorrow."

"Alright, well keep yer hands off Margo. I'm gon' have Andy watch you, creeper," he replied.

Margo didn't meet this Andy boy the two had been talking about for weeks. She was wondering if maybe he was sick, but tried not to think on it too much.

One day she had switched teachers in class, so she had to go to class without Fiyero. Once she walked in, the teacher looked up, "Oh hello! You must be Margo, come on in!"

"Oh...um...okay…" she said shyly, walking over to her teacher. "Students, we have someone joining us this year, and I want you all to treat her nicely okay?"

"Yes Miss Verith," the students said in annoyed tones. "Go ahead and sit where-ever you'd like dear."

Margo looked around, and saw a seat that was open next to a very depressing looking boy. He had what looked like burn marks on his neck, and he was just staring down.

She sat in the seat next to him, but her ears flicked when a girl on the opposite side whispered, "That's Andy. He's just been like that since a car crash that killed his whole family. I heard he tried to hang himself the other day."

"That's horrible, no wonder he looks so sad," she whispered back. "Penny!" Miss Verith suddenly yelled, making everyone jump.

"Don't start trouble you hear me? It's class time, not chat time."

"Y-Yes Miss Verith!" Penny said nervously.

Margo however, kept her eyes on the sad boy beside her the whole class.

She devised a plan in her head, she was determined to make him smile. And then began months and months of pestering and bad puns.

Fiyero tried to tell her it was a lost cause, and she should just leave him alone, but she refused to listen. She tried everything she could think of, sock puppets, tickling, even making cupcakes for him.

But nothing seemed to work. Eventually Margo had given up. She began to walk home by herself, telling everyone else - even Fiyero - to leave her alone.

It seemed like things weren't going to get better. Margo was walking home as usual, when a bully by the name of Kelvin tripped her, making her drop her papers and books, and causing her to get a few scraps due to the hard pavement.

He laughed, and began teasing her, jabbing at her about her siblings. She couldn't help it, and began crying. Andy, being a few feet behind her, saw this.

He growled and walked up to the laughing bully, "Hey Kelvin."

Kelvin looked up, and scowled, "What, faggot?"

"Learn to keep your dick in your mouth," and with that, Andy punched him hard in the gut, causing Kelvin to fall over and writhe in agony.

Andy rolled his eyes, and started picking up the papers and books, while Margo, still sobbing, did the same. One book was left, and they both reached for it, only to pull back as their hands touched.

They both blushed, then Margo picked up the book gently. Andy smiled, something he hadn't done for a long time, and held out his hand.

She looked up, and took it. He helped her up, returning the remaining books and papers to her, "You alright?"

Margo looked down shyly, "I am now."

"Come on, I'll take you to my grandmother's for those scrapes. They look bad." Andy said, but then he added, almost to himself, "Wouldn't want a pretty face to look all scraped up now would we?"

Margo couldn't help but to blush, "I-I'm not pretty..." She stated.

"You have an asymmetrical look. To me, that's pretty, including symmetrical," Andy stated, but he said no more to change her mind.

Instead, Andy lead Margo into the forest and through what looked like a secret pathway. Eventually they left the bath to show a clearing what had a small cabin in the center.

An old lady walking up the stairs seeming to be struggling with some grocery bags.

"Grandma! Lemme help you!" Andy exclaimed before running to the woman and taking one of the bags out of her arms.

"Thank you dearie," She said with a smile, Andy grinned at her and continued to help her with the groceries.

The woman turned and saw Margo, "Oh are you that nice young lady my grandson's been tellin' me about?"

Margo blushed, "Oh...It's nothing really. I was just doing what I could to help him. I guess you could say I can sympathise."

"Well it looks like you got the lad to smile, I haven't seen him smile like this in ages!" She exclaimed, "Come on in, it looks like you're pretty banged up, I'll help you."

"I-I'm fine, don't worry about me. It's just a few scrapes."

"Nonsense!" Andy suddenly piped up, "I'll make sure you get bandaged up and those scrapes heal in no time!"

"Oh, you're too kind, really. But I guess there's no arguing with you, you're pretty stubborn," she said smugly.

"Always have been. Now get in here before I pick you up. I'm stronger than I look you know!" Andy chirped.

"Sure you are," she replied, rolling her eyes as she stepped inside. "Oh...my…! It's so much bigger than it looks…! Like a...Tardis."

"Tardis? You watch Doctor Who?" Andy asked, "I'm a huge fan myself."

"Really? So am I!" she giggled.

They chattered all night, seeming to have almost everything in common. Weeks flew by, but they remained close friends.

One day, at lunch, Margo sat with Andy and was amazed when Shadic came over. The reason that she was surprised was because they were normally icy to each other.

"Hey Andy, how ya doin'?" He asked.

"I've been doing fine. I've finally gotten past the level I was telling you about in my game. It was so hard!"

"When I played it I managed to get through him after… Three times" Shadic said.

"Um...what game exactly…?" Margo asked.

"Um, duh! Blood Bashers 3!" Shadic said, annoyed, but backed down in his chair as Andy shot him a nasty glare.

"Blood Bashers 3? Pft. I expected more of a challenge from that game. It was child's play getting through it," she stated.

Shadic's eye twitched, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Andy just chuckled.

After school had ended, Andy sat under a tree, trying to finish his homework before he went home. But Margo sat beside him, smiling.

"Oh, hey Margo. Whatcha need?" he asked.

"I made something for you," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a teal scarf. She held it out to him, and he reluctantly took it.

"What's it for?"

"To keep you warm silly! And to always remind you that we're friends!" she giggled as he blushed and smiled.

Margo was sitting alone, since Andy was sick. She seemed lost in her notebook without him around. She looked up, seeing someone have walked up.

It was Shadic. She quickly slammed her notebook shut and grinned nervously, "CAN I HELP YOU…?!" She said in a high and squeaky voice.

Shadic reached a hand behind his head and rubbed his neck nervously.

"You're smart," He stated.

"Um… I guess so..?"

"I need help."

"Okay…? What exactly do you need help with…?" Margo stated.

Shadic groaned and blushed badly, very embarrassed.

"I need help with math, I'm failing it, and I need your help seeing as you're the star student in that class." Shadic growled, but his growling was mostly to himself.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so? I can help you!" Margo said, cheerfully.

Shadic's ears shot up, "R-Really?!"

"Sure! It's real simple once you take some time to think and plan it out! How about we meet in the library after school?" she offered.

"S-Sounds...good…!" he stammered.

Margo giggled, she could tell he was blushing just by the red tint in his cheeks and ears.

"S-See you then Margo…" Shadic stuttered and then quickly scurried off.

That afternoon, Margo stayed true to her word, and was waiting for Shadic at a small table in the back.

"I trust you brought your homework and math binder?" she questioned.

"Yeah. It's right here in my bag," Shadic said and opened his bag and brought out the required materials.

"Good! Now let's get started! What is it that you're confused on?"

"Um...A-Alge-" Shadic suddenly stopped what he was saying when he noticed that Margo was staring at his side. The side that had the scar from the werewolf attack.

"What?" He asked, quickly hiding the scar with his binder.

"O-Oh! I-I'm sorry! I-It's just...What happened to you?"

"I...I got attacked long ago. I'd rather not talk about it. C-Can we just get to work?" Shadic asked.

Margo noticed that Shadic's body language seemed to change, like he was afraid of her looking at his scar, that or the very least his body.

"Okay…What was it that you had trouble on?" She asked, averting her eyes from Shadic's scar to his light blue eyes.

"Algebra." Shadic said, his torn ear flicked a bit and he turned his head a bit to see Fiyero watching from behind some books.

He didn't react, he just sat down with Margo and brought out his homework, showing her the problems he had trouble on.

She showed him what to do, and he did his best to try and use her method of solving, but that was an epic fail.

"Hmm…What do you like to do the most?" She asked.

"What?"

"Hobbies you like to do, this might help."

"Oh. Um...I like to play video games when I'm not," Shadic cleared his throat a bit, "Y...You've heard the rumors about me. But I like to play video games."

"Okay," Margo said, not at all awkward with the conversation like Shadic was, "Pretend it's your favorite video game and you have to solve a really hard level."

That's when Shadic began to understand what to do with the problems. He finished his homework with a little bit of help from Margo and when they were done, they did a little dance in their chairs.

"Thanks a lot Margo!" Shadic grined.

"It's no problem! If you ever need any help, just ask me okay?"

Shadic nodded, "I gotta repay you for this. How about some ice cream? No strings attached I swear, just a thank you."

"Hmm…Any type of ice cream?" She asked.

"So long as it doesn't have diamond sprinkles, any type."

"...Deal. If Fiyero can come along to keep an eye on you."

"Ah better!" Fiyero's voice came from behind the bookshelf, causing Shadic to jump in fright. He had forgotten the boy was there.

"F-Fine! Y-You can come! J-J-Just don't sc-scare me a-again!" Shadic exclaimed, holding a hand to his fast beating heart.

Margo's ear twitched, seeming to be able to hear it for some reason, and blushed a deep red.

"You aight Margo?" Fiyero asked, concerningly.

"I-I'm fine...l-let's go!" Margo said as she stood up.

Shadic stood and they all went out for ice cream, and like Shadic said, there was no strings attached.

The next day, Andy was hanging around with Margo when Shadic ran up.

"Hey Andy I have a quick question!" He gasped out, he seemed afraid.

"What is it?"

"Why is Kelvin after you in a swarm of pure rage?"

"Uh oh…" Andy said, then he blurted out, "I CAN'T GO BACK TO JAIL!" And he ran.

Not two seconds later Kelvin was after him, shoving people out of the way, his only target was Andy.

"Um...Jail?" Margo asked.

"Oh Andy was in jail for a week not too long ago. I think it was before you came. Not entirely sure on the details. Must not have been too bad if he stayed there for only a week," Shadic said.

"Um... Please tell me he didn't drop the soap."

"Nope. He was all on his own is the shower. He's still a minor dang it. Anyways I gotta go. See ya Margo!" Shadic said and with a wave he was off after Andy and Kelvin, probably to stop whatever fight they were about to have.

At lunch time Andy came in with a black eye and a bloody tissue held to his nose, with Shadic behind him with a large bruise at his ribcage. They sat down with Margo and Fiyero.

"So who won?" Fiyero asked.

"Welp… Let's say Kelvin won't be standing without a cast for a month." Shadic stated, flinching as he leaned back in his chair.

"Oh? And who was the one to do that?" Margo asked.

Andy held up his hand a bit, his nose still bleeding, but you can tell he was smiling by the look in his good eye.

"Doh one douches muh modders hoodie." Andy said, his voice a bit messed up possibly from the bleeding.

"Woah! Didn' think ya were that strong Andy! Yer a twig compared to Kelvin!" Fiyero exclaimed.

Andy just shrugged.

Margo scowled, "That's barbaric! Why do you boys always have to fight?!"

"Just our nature I guess," Fiyero said, lying back in his chair and putting his feet on the table.

Margo quickly pushed them off, "We're at school, Fiyo. Have some manners."

Fiyero just rolled his eyes, "Why do you care? Kelvin's a bully, he's practically heartless!"

"How can you say that?! For all you know, he could have a hard time at home! Did any of you even think to ask him?" Margo snapped.

Everyone cringed nervously. Margo huffed, "How exactly did you all come to meet Kelvin then…?"

"He picked me up and tried to choke me once." Shadic stated.

"He thought I was a girl till I slapped him." Andy growled.

Fiyero tapped his chin and thought, "Well...I do remember the first day he ever came to school ever. It was elementary school I think."

"Really? Well, what happened?" Margo asked.

"Well...truth is fellas, he was a shy kid," Fiyero began.

"Kelvin? Shy? Shut up man, you must be remembering things wrong," Shadic interrupted.

"If you would let me finish. Anyways...I got a good look of his situation when his dad picked 'im up from school."

"His dad? I thought his dad was in jail all his life."

"That's just what he's been tellin' y'all. You know he's a liar. Anyhow, the guy was clearly drunk as fuck, and I noticed Kelvin had bites on 'im that he covered up with his sleeve."

"That's terrible!" Margo gasped.

"He don't have any bites that I can see," Shadic growled under his breath. Andy jabbed him on his bruise to shut him up.

"Humph. You should be ashamed of yourself Shadic! But I guess you couldn't possibly understand!"

"Uh oh...Margo, you know what yer dad said about controlling your anger."

"What anger? I'm not angry! You're angry!"

"Don't kill me…!" Fiyero whimpered as he hid behind his chair.

"I do understand Margo. Just in a different way." Shadic said glumly, his attitude suddenly changing.

"Shadic? You okay my friend?" Andy asked.

"I need to go. See you guys later." Shadic got up and left without another word, bumping into Jennifer, another bully, on the way out of the lunch room.

Margo suddenly calmed down, and sat. "...Oh...I did it again didn't I…?! This is so embarrassing…!"

Blushing, she put her face in her hands.

"C'mon it's not the end of the world, Shadic's yer friend," Fiyero said, trying to lift her spirits.

"But that's just it…! It feels like...it's more than that…!" Margo cried desperately.

"Um...are you okay Margo…?" Andy asked.

Margo blushed even more, realising her statement, "I...I have to go…!"

Andy watched as Margo quickly left the lunch room quickly. With a jolt, Andy realized what she meant.

"Fiyero… Has Margo been acting… Different around Shadic?" He asked.

"Well, her ear's been...flicking...a...lot…" Fiyero began to say, slowly realising what was going on.

"Oh that little shit…! Imma chop his dick off!" he yelled, grabbing his own stuff and running out.

"Fiyero I don't think Shadic even realizes it yet!" Andy yelled after Fiyero, but he was already gone.

He sat there for a while alone, trying to comprehend it, "I knew I was waiting too long...Now I stand no chance...why does Shadic always get the girls…?!"

Meanwhile Shadic was outside leaning heavily against a tree, having run out of the school in order to get away from his friends. He heard a yell and looked up to see Fiyero running straight to him.

"Fiyero?!" Shadic yelped, attempting to run, but too late as Fiyero football tackled him down.

"AHM GONNA KILL YA!" Fiyero yelled. Shadic screamed in response and tried to struggle to get free but to no avail.

"AH TOLD YA NOT TA GIT CLOSE TO 'ER!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Shadic screamed.

"MARGO'S FORMED A BOND WITH YA!"

"WHAT?!" Shadic screamed. This time he surged upward, managing to knock Fiyero off him and quickly getting on his friend and pinning his arms and legs down.

"What the hell are you talkin' about Fiyero?!" Shadic yelled, keeping his struggling friend down, "I haven't touched her anywhere! I've stayed away like you told me to! MINUS asking her for help on my math!"

"WELL THINK HARDER, THERE MUSTA BEEN SOMETHIN'!" he yelled back.

That's when Shadic realised it, "Oh fuck...oh no...oh no no no no…!"

He slowly got off his friend, "Oh god dammit! What is wrong with me?!"

"Y'all kissed 'er didn't ya?! Yer a dead man Alex!" he shouted, tackling him down again.

"I DIDN'T KISS HER!" Shadic screamed like a girl.

"Liar! I can see it on yer face!" Fiyero shouted.

"I NEVER DID I SWEAR! I WOULD HAVE BRAGGED BY NOW IF I DID! I'VE STAYED AWAY HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!"

"Fiyero Franchester T. Wolf! Get off him this instant!"

They both looked up, only to see Margo glaring at them both.

Fiyero got up, as did Shadic.

"So what if he kissed me?! I'm not a kid anymore! And it doesn't matter anyways! I could always just kiss whoever I want!" she stated angrily.

"Um...does this mean that you-" Shadic tried.

"Quiet! I'll deal with you and your little stunt later. Now, Fiyero, I want you to go home and leave him be. Do you understand me?" she growled.

"... FINE," Fiyero growled as he got off Shadic and left.

Shadic waited a moment to make sure Fiyero was gone before he slowly stood up and dusted himself off.

"So.. Um.. T-thanks for the save there M-Margo.." Shadic nervously grinned, but Margo was still mad.

"Your stunt you pulled on me was not to be accepted young man!" Margo grunted, "And to think I thought you were better than that!"

"I-I swear I didn't realize I kissed you till the next day! I-It was just a random surge of emotion I didn't mean to I swear on my mother's grave!" Shadic exclaimed.

Margo sighed, "You don't get it…"

"Get.. What?" Shadic asked.

"You don't understand what's happened do you? I...I…" Margo blushed.

Shadic stayed still a moment before he walked up to Margo and spoke quietly, "You…?"

"I think...I've...f-fallen in love with you…"

Shadic's face turned pure red and you could practically see the steam coming off his face from embarrassment.

"L-Love?" Shadic's voice was higher than normal, indicating his surprise.

"You don't...know how it works do you…?" she asked.

He shook his head, and she sighed in response.

"Well, when two vampires actually spend time with each other rather than sleep together one and split up the next day, it becomes...more complex," she explained.

"How...complex…?" he asked.

"They can potentially form three kinds of bonds, a bond of brotherhood, a bond of motherhood, or a bond of love. A bond of love is when...you can hear each other's heart beat. It's...instinct…" she continued, "If one were to die, it's as if the heart literally breaks, and the one left behind finds it near impossible to form a bond of love with anyone else afterwards."

"... Like my father…" Shadic said quietly, "He was madly in love with my mother, but after her death.. He hasn't been the same. I… I think I understand Margo."

"You haven't formed any bonds before because, as I said, it has to be genuine. Not for lust," she stated.

"I've only ever slept with girls, never actually spent time knowing them," Shadic said as he sat down at the base of the tree, "But… With you... I couldn't bring myself to do what I normally do. I just couldn't!"

Margo looked down, "...Do you want this…?"

"What…?" he questioned, looking up at her.

"Do you want this…? Because...I've never felt like this before...but you never really meant to…" she trailed off in her words.

Shadic stayed quiet for a long moment before he stood and went up to Margo.

"I... I guess I'm willing to try. How about a date? To see how it goes." Shadic asked, "No strings attached. I promise. Anywhere, anytime."

Margo rubbed her arm, blushing, "...Well...It would mean a lot to me if you could at least get us a spot in the forest. My father won't let me go there anymore…"

"Hmmm… Alright. I guess that will do. I'll take you to a lake one night." Shadic smiled.

Margo gasped and grinned, "The lake?! Oh I've always wanted to see it!"

"Well then, all the more reason to take you."

Shadic was nervous to say the least. He wasn't used to this sort of thing. As he approached the house, he could've sworn it looked familiar.

He shrugged, and knocked on the door. It opened, and there stood Margo. She wasn't wearing her school uniform as he was used to, but a long sleeve purple shirt.

She was also wearing jeans, and a necklace with a strange looking charm. Her shoes perplexed him the most. They looked almost exactly like…

"Oh...h-hello...you're early...my parents are out at the movies right now," she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"O-Oh! S-Should I wait for them then? I wouldn't want to be labeled as a... um... What is it called? Bad Boy?"

"Trust me, you do not wanna run into my dad. Let's go, they're gonna be gone the whole night anyways," she explained.

"O-Okay. Follow me then." Shadic smiled, "I'll show you the lake, but first you have to cover your eyes."

"Um...why?" she questioned.

"Cause you've never seen it before, duh! I want to surprise you with something." Shadic said, "I promise it's not bad. Just a small present."

Margo sighed, "Fine." She closed her eyes, wobbling forward and falling, only to be caught by Shadic. She opened her eyes, and blushed, "Um...maybe I should close them when we get to the entrance of the forest…?"

"That... Might be the best idea," Shadic chuckled a bit.

And she did so once they had entered the forest, wobbling a little the whole way, but being kept up by Shadic.

"Are we there yet…?"

"That's the tenth time you've asked," he chuckled.

"Maybe it'd be the last time if you just told me," she retorted.

"Okay...just a sec...alright, open 'em up!"

Margo finally opened her eyes, and her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

The half-moon's reflection glittered in the water of the lake, and flowers practically covered the place. She was stunned to say the least.

She turned to Shadic, seeing he was holding out a rose to her. She blushed, "Oh...um..th-thank you…"

"No problem.. Andy helped me pick it out." Shadic said, "He seemed glad that I was trying something different for a change."

"Oh, how sweet of him to help you," she commented, taking the rose. She pulled him by his wrist closer to the lake without warning, and sat down with him.

"You know...This is where my father proposed to my mother…" she whispered.

"R-Really?" Shadic asked, surprised.

"Yeah. They actually lived around here somewhere, but I always forget where exactly. Guess that was their little secret," she giggled.

"Well. I don't even wanna think about how they met, that or how your mother reacted when he proposed," Shadic said, "If she was anything like my mother was, she probably strangled your father in a hug."

Margo rolled her eyes, and began staring into the water at her own reflection. Slowly, her glowing smile became a frown, and tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm...hideous…" she said bitterly.

"What? No you're not!" Shadic exclaimed, "Out of all the women I have been with, you are the most beautiful out of all of them!"

Margo gasped and blushed, her ears shot up at this as well. "...You...you think...I'm beautiful…? What's so beautiful about me…?"

"Your eyes."

"What?"

"Out of all of them. They never had eyes like yours. They... Glimmer like stars in the moonlight." Shadic said.

"...You know...when I first met you...I was kinda scared...Fiyero always talked about how you always flirt with other girls…" she began, "So when you called me pretty, I just thought you were trying to get to me...I thought I was ugly."

"No… I actually meant it." Shadic smiled.

"... Really?"

"Really, truly."

"... Thank you Shadic. I appreciate it." Margo smiled.

"It's no problem Margo... No problem at all." Shadic said with a kind smile.

They lay back and admired the stars, eventually starting to make jokes about the alignment of some of the stars and how they looked.

They stayed up really late into the night before Shadic finally sat up.

"It's getting late. I guess I should get you home." Shadic stated.

"Alright, let's go!" Margo stood up and Shadic stood as well.

They walked back to Margo's house the way that they came and she slipped back into the house but stopped and looked at Shadic.

"I had fun. Thank you, Shadic,"

"No problem. I'm glad you had fun. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Margo giggled, "What? No goodnight kiss?"

Shadic blushed and smiled a bit, "I think I'll save that one for a few dates okay? I think its best."

"Oh shush." Margo said before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and heading back inside her house.

Shadic stayed still a moment, red in the face before he turned and walked home, stunned into silence.

The next few weeks seemed to go well, they often chatted about their interests, and eventually they were officially dating.

However, unknown to them, things weren't running so smoothly with Andy. It's true he had been helping Shadic, but he was slowly developing a resentment towards him.

Margo herself could see he was smiling a lot less, just like before. And though he assured them he was doing fine, somehow Margo doubted it.

Pretty soon the school year was over, they all went to their own homes the day school ended. Andy went to his grandmother's house to find her laying on the couch with a cold.

He began to nurse her back to health, smiling when he fed her like a baby.

"Andy you don't have to do this you know." his grandmother said.

"I want to Grandma Betty. I may be old enough to live on my own now, but I wont leave till you're better." Andy stated as he fed her another spoonful of soup.

"Oh fine. So long as you don't worry yourself," she said, "Could you bring me my medicine? I haven't taken it yet."

"Sure." Andy smiled and left his grandmother for a moment before coming back with her medicine.

He noticed a bottle that had a big word on it. He just shrugged it off, unable to pronounce it and unable to understand it, and handed the medicine to his grandmother.

When Shadic left the last day of school, he instantly went home, feeling his little brother in fear and came home to see blood on the carpet and his father lying on the floor with a deep gash in his side.

His twin brother was holding a knife in his hand.

"Randal what happened?!" Shadic demanded.

"H-He just... He just charged at me! I didn't know what to do! I just...I just grabbed the knife in self defense! I think he's drunk but I dont know!"

"Are you hurt?!"

"No not that I know of!"

"Then call a damn ambulance!" Shadic snapped, causing his little brother to flinch.

Shadic had never snapped at his brother before. But Randal obeyed him and ran for a phone. Shadic knelt down next to his father and gently slapped his father's face.

Dark snorted a bit, seeming to jolt from unconsciousness.

"Dad stay awake understand?" Shadic said.

"Wha...Wha' happen..?" Dark's voice was slow, not really into reality as he tried to get up, but only to lay back down as Shadic pushed him down gently.

"You're hurt dad. Just stay awake and stay down okay? There's a lot of blood." Shadic informed.

"Gah… Blood ain't nuthin'.." Dark slurred.

"Blood is something when it covers a quarter of your body if you roll around it. Stay down." Shadic ordered.

It wasn't long before an ambulance had arrived, and both brothers spent the rest of the night waiting for an answer to their prayers.

Margona herself had quite a rough night. Upon returning home, she was surprised to see her dad home. "Daddy? I thought you had work tonight."

"I got the day off," he hissed acidly. He was clearly angry.

"Um...is everything okay…?" she asked timidly.

"No. I'd like to know why you're sneaking out at night with Shadic," he snapped.

"H-How did you find out?! Have you been spying on me?!" she shrieked.

"That is none of your concern. I thought I told you to stay away from him, he's a no good backstabbing liar. I'll bet he'll just drop you for another woman soon enough!"

"That's not true! He's been so kind to me, and he even took me to the lake!"

"The lake? I thought I told you to stay out of the forest!"

"I'm not a baby anymore! I can see whoever I want and go wherever I want!"

"Go to your room! You are forbidden to seem him ever again!" Shadow suddenly yelled.

Margo began to cry, "I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!" Margo ran up to her room, still crying and locked her door. It was the most helpless she had ever felt in her life.

Eventually Tailsica came home from work to see Shadow sitting on the couch seeming frustrated and defeated.

"Shadow? What happened?" She asked.

"Margo's been sneaking around with Shadic at night."

"Oh? And what did you do?" Tailsica raised an eyebrow, curious more than mad.

"I've forbidden her to see him again. And then she said that she hated me and locked herself in her room."

"I'll try to talk to her." Tailsica said and she went upstairs to her daughter's room.

She knocked on the door gently, "Margo...sweetie? It's me. Open up."

"GO AWAY!" she shrieked, "I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO EITHER OF YOU!"

"Oh sweetie...I know you're upset, but you know how your father is. I ain't as sour with Shadic as your father, but you know how he is with women don't you?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand either! Go away!"

"I just don't want you to get hurt sweetie. That's all. But I can't say I'm too happy you went against your father's orders."

"I'm not a baby anymore! I can make my own decisions!"

Tailsica stayed quiet for a long moment before she let out a sigh and spoke, "Will you bring him here tomorrow? We'll talk with Shadic. And try to get things normal again. I know what it's like to be in love, so I'll give him a chance."

"...F-Fine...but I want dad on a leash!"

Tailsica giggled, "I'll see what I can do. Now chin up, you're graduating, becoming an adult! Be chipper about it."

"I'll try. Goodnight mom," Margo sniffled.

The next day she had called Shadic, but he seemed rather nervous to hear about the news. Especially when she had mentioned who her father really was.

It took a lot of convincing, but she managed to get him to agree to visit. But didn't bother him about details over why he and Shadow were so bitter with each other.

She of course was the one to answer the door when he arrived, but that didn't make him anymore safe once he stepped inside.

He was surprised to see Tailsica as well as Shadow, "T-Tailsica? You're her mother?"

"Seriously? She's practically another twin she looks so much like me. Are you that airheaded?" she said.

"Never gave it much thought, no," he answered.

"That explains it," Tailsica couldn't help but to chuckle.

"Alex," Shadow hissed.

"H-Hey Shadz," Shadic said nervously.

"Don't call me that."

"Yes sir…!" he squeaked.

"Shadow...What did I tell you…?" Tailsica started.

"Yes honey…" Shadow sighed, trying to calm his temper.

"Good! Now Shadic, I hear that you've been dating my daughter," Tailsica said.

"Um... Y-Yes ma'am."

"Have you done anything she hasn't wanted?"

"No Ma'am."

"Not even trying to get her to sleep with you?"

"No."

"Good," Tailsica said, "Now to confirm that, Margo?" Tailsica turned to Margo, "What do you have to say?"

"He's been so sweet! And very careful too. I don't think I've met someone as lovely as him. He was kinda scary at first...but I got used to him thanks to Fiyo." Margo stated.

"Scary?" Shadic questioned.

"Shush Shadic, let Margo continue." Tailsica said calmly.

"I kinda...didn't do well with compliments. So you telling me I was pretty made me nervous," she explained.

Shadic saw Shadow cringe a bit, but he cleared his throat and tried to keep calm. As strong as he was, he was no match for his mate.

"How come you hated being complimented so much?" Shadic asked.

"...I-I'll explain that later…" she stammered, seeming uncomfortable.

"R-Right…" he said.

"So...daddy…? Can you please give this a chance…?" Margo asked, her eyes giving a begging look like a puppy's.

Shadow's ears flattened, he couldn't stand seeing his daughter upset, "Mmph…!"

"I think what Shadow is trying to say," Tailsica started, "Is that he will give Shadic here a chance, but a single mess up, he'll...well, he won't be too happy about it, got it Shadic?"

"Y-Yes ma'am," Shadic squeaked.

Margo's begging eyes reverted, and her frown became the biggest grin any of them had ever seen. She hugged Shadic tightly, feeling happier than she had ever felt in her life.

Even though Shadic himself was glad, he could see the look of resentment on Shadow's face, and gave him a nerve-racked grin.

That night Shadic stayed for dinner, doing his best to not screw up his chances of maintaining a good girlfriend. Before he left that night, Tailsica pulled him aside.

"Shadic, keep in mind, Margo really likes you, if you mess this up, I won't be able to stop Shadow from attacking you."

"I wont mess it up I promise Tailsica," Shadic said.

"You better not." She said and she let Shadic go. Then she hesitated.

"Shadic, don't mess this up. I know what happens to you on the full moon." And with that, she vanished to a different room.

Margo walked up after, "Um...I never really told you why I hated being complimented did I…?"

"You don't have to explain it if you don't want to. I was just curious."

"It's fine...I should tell someone anyways…"

"Hm?"

"Not even Andy or Fiyo know this...but...I'm not an only child. I had a twin sister, and a little brother. My sister and I were always wandering the forest," she began, "but I wasn't paying attention, and she disappeared right under my own nose! I felt terrible, and I always blamed myself. I never wanted to hear anyone say anything good about me, cause I thought I didn't deserve it."

"And...your brother…?"

"He died a fledgling...of vampire sickness...I was supposed to train him, but he just wouldn't listen to me, and I gave up trying," she explained.

"So you felt like...you didn't deserve to be complimented...To even be paid any mind to…"

"...And like everything in my life was just…"

"Falling apart," they said in unison. They stared at each other for a long time.

"You...can relate…?" she asked.

"A lot more than you can imagine..." Shadic sighed. But then he smiled.

"I gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight Shadic," she said sweetly, kissing his cheek before he left.

Margo was enjoying her quiet life in a little house in the forest, along with her newly wedded husband Shadic. The engagement itself was easy, however the blessing didn't go over so smoothly.

But eventually they got through it, and it was one of the biggest weddings of the century. Andy was the best man for Shadic, and Andy also helped him pick out a tux, which Shadic refused to wear till he was forced into it.

Margo herself would frequently visit with her friend along with Shadic. While Fiyero came on his own accord.

Margo's work made her have to go out on trips often, but one of them was longer than expected. She had been out a full 10 months.

When Margo came in the day she came home, she saw Andy and Shadic on the couch playing video games and basically screaming at eachother in the process.

"I WON'T LET YOU BEAT MEEEE!" Andy screamed.

"TRY IT BISEXUAL!" Shadic yelled.

Andy suddenly smirked, "Don't mess with a bisexual then!" he exclaimed before he dropped the controller in his hand and tackled Andy down.

This movement caused Shadic to scream like a girl before starting to laugh uncontrollably as Andy tickled his ribs.

"AHH! NO! STOP!" Shadic laughed.

"Nope~!" Andy cooed.

"AHH!"

"Boys! I'm home!" Margo exclaimed.

"Margo!" Shadic gasped out, "HELP ME!"

"Don't help him!" Andy yelled, "He deserves this!"

With a laugh Andy rolled off of Shadic and chuckled a bit, finally letting Shadic breath.

"I see nothing has changed while I was out. Good," Margo giggled, heading upstairs.

That week, Shadic had decided visit his brother Randal, however he was surprised to see a baby playing a couple of wooden blocks in the living room.

"Randal? When did you have a kid?" Shadic asked.

"I adopted him," Randal said.

Shadic could feel Randal's pulse quicken, indicating a lie, but he didn't push it.

"What's it's name?"

"His name is Anthony," Randal said.

Shadic gently picked up the baby, being as careful as he could be because it looked like it was still a newborn.

"Huh. Kinda cute. Looks like you or me actually." Shadic said.

The baby looked up at Shadic and seemed to tilt his head for a moment. He stayed quiet for a long time, and then the baby started to cry, loudly.

Shadic visibly cringed at the sudden loud noise and quickly handed the baby to Randal, holding him at arms length.

"I don't know what to do!" Shadic exclaimed.

"Well first don't hold him like a live bomb!" Randal chuckled and took Anthony away from Shadic.

"Second, he's probably hungry! Come on! I'll show you what to do."

"A-Alright.." Shadic said and followed his little brother into the kitchen.

The rest of the afternoon Randal taught his brother about how a baby should be taken care of. Shadic himself, never had a kid, he was truthfully a little nervous about starting a family.

It was only a couple years later Margo was announced to be pregnant. Fiyero was excited to hear it as well as Andy, since they had been hoping to be uncles.

Shadic didn't figure out till about a week later and fainted at the news.

"Welp. I ain't carrying him alone this time." Andy stated before taking Shadic's hot dog and taking a bite out of it.

"Ah thought Margo told him!" Fiyero exclaimed.

"Nah. Shadic's too immature for a kid, lets hope he straightens out." Andy said.

After Andy finished off Shadic's food, he and Fiyero picked up the unconscious man and dragged him home.

"Hey Margo!" Andy exclaimed as he dragged Shadic through Margo's door with Fiyero.

"Did Shadic faint?" Margo exclaimed as she ran to help the boys.

"Nah. He just got drunk and I fucked him." Andy said, earning a glare from Margo, "What? I'm just joking! Not that I wouldn't tap that ass though."

"What am I gonna do with you?" Margo sighed.

"I donno. Anyways, Shadic found out you were pregnant and fainted at the news." Andy smiled.

"Oh my...I'll take care of him, thank you boys."

The next 9 months went by smoothly, and so did the birth, however Shadic found himself unconscious once more when he saw 2 babies.

Margo rolled her eyes, and handed one of the two to Andy. One baby was blue, with abnormally long ears for a wolf and her eyes were like crystals. The other, was a light shade of periwinkle, she wasn't a wolf, but a dog. Her eyes being just like her sisters, and had dark purple hair.

"Whatcha gonna name them?" Andy asked, and Shadic finally woke up once again.

"Hmm...well this one's purple...I think...I'll call her Perrywinkle."

"And the other one?" Fiyero piped up.

"I'm not sure actually…" Margo said.

"Her ears are pretty long. Weird," Fiyero commented.

Shadic rubbed his head, "H-How about...Paula…?" He suggested.

"Why Paula?" Andy asked.

"Cause that was my great grandmother's name," he explained.

"I like it," Margo stated and kissed Shadic's cheek.

The next few weeks, things went perfectly. Perrywinkle and Paula both played together frequently, and their new "uncles" came to see them often.

Eventually however, they stopped hearing from Fiyero. Though Margo was worried, Shadic assured he was probably just busy with his farm.

One night, Margo was reading and drinking some tea, when she heard something hit the window. It was a little mocking jay that was well known around the village.

She opened the window, seeing she was carrying a black scroll, and took it. The bird instantly took off, looking terrified.

Margo raised a brow, but shrugged. She noticed that something read was dripping from the rolled up paper. She pondered what it could possibly, but one sniff of it and her face changed to one of terror.

Quickly, she opened it, seeing a message written in blood. She was about to vomit, but read. "To the prince and his wife, I order that you give up one of your children and leave them somewhere far from the kingdom, or I'll smash the whole place down. HellFrame…?"

She began to sob, she felt helpless. To make matters worse, she recognize exactly whose blood it smelled like. It was Fiyero's.

Shadic looked up when Margo walked down the steps, still sobbing and holding the scroll oozing with blood.

"Margo? Margo honey what's wrong?" Shadic quickly went over to Margo and gently took the scroll away from her.

He saw what was written and instantly felt tears fall down his face.

"N-no… W-We can't get rid of one of them... We can't..." Shadic whimpered.

"Shadic...He's not fucking around…! That is Fiyero's blood…!" she snapped through her tears, "And you know he's not afraid to hurt a child…! We have to…!"

Shadic stayed quiet for a long moment before his ears flattened against his head.

"O-Okay... Alright... If that is what needs to be done..."

"...Take Perrywinkle...Paula has the throne ahead of her…" she said, and Shadic nodded, picking up Perrywinkle.

Perrywinkle, being too young to comprehend their words, giggled and smiled in a playful manner. This only made them feel worse.

Shadic gently put his head against Perrywinkle's and held her close.

"Come on baby… We're gonna go for a ride out in the car..." Shadic whispered before he grabbed his keys and his phone.

He instantly dialed a number and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" The sleepy voice of Andy murmured.

"Hey Andy. I need you to babysit Paula for a while."

"Now?"

"Yes, now," Shadic said.

"Alright. I'm coming over…" Andy sighed.

Shadic thought he could hear a groan on the other end of the phone that didn't come from Andy. But Andy quickly hung up before he could ask.

When Andy came over, Margo was still in tears, it was overwhelming to say the least. When he tried to console her, she only cried more.

That's when Shadic finally decided to explain the situation. Andy was horrified to hear Fiyero was dead, but promised to keep Paula safe till they returned.

They decided to leave Perrywinkle at a small orphanage in a misty town that was nameless. When they arrived, they placed Perrywinkle in a small basket.

One Margo set her at the doorstep, she took of her necklace and put it in the basket along with a note. When she turned to her husband, she was surprised to see him taking off his own necklace.

He was fashioning it into a bracelet, before leaving it in the basket as well. He went to hide, while Margo knocked. Once she did, she ran to her husband. She cried as three small boys opened the door and took the basket inside.

A couple days after Margo and Shadic gave up Perry, Andy had stayed for dinner and Shadic offered to take Andy home, and Andy agreed for the company.

When Shadic got to Andy's house they stopped at his door.

"Thanks for walking me home Shadic," Andy said.

"No problem. Anything for a friend." Shadic smiled.

Andy blushed and seemed to hesitate on going in.

"Shadic?

"Yes Andy?"

"I can't resist this anymore." With that statement, Andy kissed Shadic.

Shadic was surprised to say the least, but it didn't take more than a minute before he kissed Andy back and pushed his friend against the door.

When the next day came along, Shadic was dead to the world on the couch. Margo came downstairs and saw him just as he rolled over in his sleep to show what looked like a hickey on the base of his neck.

Two seconds later, Margo was hitting Shadic with a broom.

"YOU FUCKER!" Margo screamed.

"AHH! WHAT DID I DO!?" Shadic yelled, falling off the couch and trying his best to block the blows from the broom.

"WHO IS THE BITCH YOU SLEPT WITH?!" She screamed.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Shadic yelled back.

"YOU HAVE A HICKEY ON YOUR NECK!"

"WHAT?! OH!" Shadic managed to block the broom and hold it still, "Margo it's a bat bite!"

"Liar." Margo hissed.

"I'm telling the truth! When I was walking home from Andy's a bat attacked me! It's a bite from a bat I swear! I would never sleep with anyone other than you!"

Margo seemed to lose all her rage and she dropped the broom before kneeling down and hugging Shadic tightly and sobbing into his shoulder.

Margo was practically unresponsive after the whole incident. The years passed and Paula got older, but Margo remained heart broken, This created a bit of quarrel between her and Shadic.

Paula understood in her own way what was going on between them, but kept quiet for fear she would make it worse.

Things didn't get more chipper as time went on further. Margo was at home, just staring out her window when she noticed smoke coming from the forest.

Her ears lifted up, realising something, "Wait...that's where…" Margo began, but trailed off and yelled for her husband to come downstairs.

They were out the door in a flash, but once they reached Andy's home it was too late. Margo tried to run in, but Shadic held her back.

"NO! ANDY!" she cried, but to no avail.

"Margo no! It's too dangerous! Besides, he could've gotten out already!" he tried.

"If he did he'd be here! We have to do something!" she yelled back, but the home slowly began to burn down until only ashes remained.

Margo finally pushed Shadic off her, and ran into the debris, trying desperately to find something of Andy, "NO! NO! ANDY!"

Shadic ran up to her, grabbed her, and turned her around, "Margo! He's gone!"

"NO!" she cried in denial, and Shadic pulled her into a tight hug. "NO IT CAN'T BE TRUE! ANDY!"

Shadic became distraught, noticing the burnt scarf just barely hanging off of some burnt up wood. He couldn't help a few tears himself.

It was only a few short weeks after the funeral that Shadic noticed Margo was coughing and vomiting quite a bit. Concerned for his mate, he made her rest until he could get a professional opinion.

But the news wasn't too good. She was ill with vampire sickness. Now being a half blood, it is possible to survive it once, but twice was impossible.

She had already had it in high school school, but survived it. After that, Shadic refused to leave his wife. She only got worse as the days passed along. She became delusional, and started hallucinating as well.

Paula never went in to see her mother, afraid to face the truth. However, one day Shadic was forced to go back to work, having barely enough money to support himself, let alone his wife.

So Paula watched over her mother, and eventually fell asleep. But she woke up hearing her mother call her name, "Momma…?"

"Paula...I want you...to tell your father...that I love him once he...gets home...I know I haven't been paying as much attention to you as I...sh-should...but know that I love you little princess…" she whispered, her voice dry with agony.

"Momma? What do you mean? Is everything okay?" she asked frantically.

"I'm going to...see my siblings…" she coughed, and her eyes shut.

Paula began to panic, shaking her, "Momma? MOMMA!"

But her mother didn't wake. Paula began to cry, and sobbed. She made her way downstairs, and sat on the couch. Crying the whole day until her father finally arrived.

"Paula? Paula what's wrong, why're you crying?" he asked.

"I-I tried to Papi…! I tried to keep momma awake...b-but...but I couldn't...I…!" she sobbed.

Shadic's eyes widened, "No...no no no no no…!"

He rushed upstairs quickly, only to find his daughter's words were true. Shadic cried, "No no…! Margo…! Please don't leave me…!"

Shadic sobbed, and stayed by his wife's body the rest of that night. Paula could see not only sadness in his eyes...but anger, and knew it was only a matter of time before his anger overshadowed his sadness.


	4. The Flames Of Envy

It was weeks after Margo's funeral, and two very sneaky pairs of eyes had been watching since the fire that burned down Andy's home.

One with the white of one of the eyes red and other normal with blue eye color, the other with whites of both eyes red but not pupils to be seen.

"Hmm…" one of the two suddenly murmured.

"What are you thinking Andy?" the other asked.

"I think I'd like to make myself a servant. But I want it to be her," he hissed in reply.

"Well, we can't exactly be authorized to have her reborn...But we could always make one ourselves…"

Andy smirked and snickered, "Good idea…"

"But first, we'll need a blood sample," the other stated.

Andy's smirk just became wider, and he laughed.

Shadow was wandering about the forest, he wasn't sure why however. Perhaps he just needed some air. He heard voices once he was about to reach the lake suddenly.

He jumped into the trees, and hid. He was surprised to see Enu and another girl. Enu was known for being born in the Blackmist Forest, and is usually believed to be the one that kills the vampires that wander in it.

The other went by the name Tira, and bared a ring blade at all times. They both seemed to be arguing however, "Nice one idiot! Now the whole entirety of the spirit world is gonna have our asses!"

"Oh please, they couldn't do anything to us if they wanted to. Besides, it's going to be well worth it," Enu turned, revealing that he was holding a sleeping baby. But once the baby awoke, it began crying.

Enu growled, "God dammit shut up!"

Tira rolled her eyes, "You're an idiot, of course it's crying! It's a fucking baby!"

"Well if you're such an expert on it why don't you hold it?!" he yelled, carelessly tossing the baby into her arms.

She growled, "Hell no! I hate babies! They always make a mess of things!"

She too tossed the baby, but out of Enu's reach. Luckily however, Shadow was able to catch it. Enu didn't turn in time to see it and Tira wasn't really looking.

They went back to arguing, and the baby seemed to calm down once it saw Shadow. Shadow smiled at it, "It's alright. I won't hurt you."

The baby smiled and giggled, pushing it's hands on Shadow's cheeks, "Bap!"

Shadow made him take his hands off however, and rolled his eyes. He also noticed that he could sense strong levels of power coming from the baby.

"Whao...that's a lot for just an infant…" he said.

In a flash of light, he was gone with the baby, and had appeared right on the doorstep of his home. He stood up, and went inside.

"Tailsica?! I um...have a present for you…!" he said nervously.

"Coming!" she yelled back, coming out of the kitchen with haste. She quickly noticed the baby, "Aww! How adorable! He's so cute I could pinch his little cheeks!"

She took the baby from his husband's arms, and began cradling it, "Where on Earth did you get such a cute little thing?"

"W-Well...um...Funny story actually...I sorta...found him with er...E-Enu…!" he grinned nervously.

"Why would Enu have a baby?" Tailsica gasped and quickly began to look at the baby's body for anything that he might of gotten hurt on.

"I'm not sure...but I think I might have an idea. I can sense energy from others, being able to harness the power of the emeralds. This child has a strong amount of energy coursing through him," Shadow explained.

"Really? He's practically a newborn! How is that possible?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but they mentioned they stole it from the spirits, which means he must have been a reborn for something important."

"...Then let's keep him."

"Wh-What?"

"I kinda miss having kids around. Besides, he might help lift up that temper of yours," she giggled.

Shadow grumbled under his breath, but nonetheless agreed with his wife.

The years began to pass by, eventually Paula grew up into a more mature young women, who took care of her father more than herself.

Shadic had been drinking for a long time, and had even resorted to smashing his own possessions, avoiding Paula's room.

Paula nonetheless maintained a steady relationship with her father, despite his nature. She never bothered him about her school life or anything however.

Every day she would be cornered by the same three boys, beaten and pushed around in the forest. They were angry that their friend was dating her, and wasn't hanging out with them as much.

His name was Henry, a prince from the forbidden lands, and the son of HellFrame himself. Not many people would talk to him in school.

But he managed to make a few friends who thought their own king was a poor excuse and would rather Henry's father instead.

Paula however, didn't tell her father about her and Henry either. She knew he despised those from the forbidden land, and wouldn't understand that Henry was different.

But one day, rather than cornering her in the forest, the three boys caught her right outside her house. "Wh-What're you doing here?!"

"Oh, just here to deliver your daily beating," one boy said, cracking his knuckles.

"My father will catch you! And you'll wish you were dead!" she yelled.

"Why you little...c'mon, let's pound this bitch!" he ordered, and all three boys cornered her, beating her, and kicking her.

She cried as they taunted her. Calling her names like "bitch" and "slut." Suddenly however, she heard two of the boys scream.

The first saw them run, "Hey! What're you guys doing?!" He turned, only to have a knife stabbed right into his heart.

Paula looked up, and couldn't believe what she saw. The boy looked up, and saw Shadic was holding the other end of the knife, glaring at the boy.

The boy struggled, but eventually fell over, and knife slide right out. Shadic kneeled down and pushed the boy's eyelids shut, "Shh...just go to sleep…"

Paula sobbed as she finally managed to get up, "P-Papi…!" She squeaked.

That's when Shadic seemed to snap out of it, he shot up, realising instantly what he had just done. He dropped the knife, "Pr-Princess…! I…"

He stayed quiet for a few short moments, "...h-help me hide the body…"

Paula was still shocked, but she nodded. They never spoke of it after that, as if nothing happened. It was a few short days after that Shadic began to crack.

Paula was out as usual, when he was trying to move the couch back to where it was. He noticed a camera underneath once he lifted it and grabbed it.

He began scrolling through the photos on it. Paula's first day of school, Paula's birthdays, even vacation photos. But near the end of the film was one photo that caused Shadic to drop the camera.

It was a picture of Paula and Henry lying together, smiling. Shadic stayed silent, then growled.

That night when Paula returned home, things took a turn for the worst. She opened the door, and turned her head to see a beer bottle heading her way.

She quickly ducked, but the bottle had hit the wall beside her. She looked up to see her own father, eyes glowing red with hatred, "YOU FUCKIN' TRAITOR!"

Paula became scared, "Wh-What do you mean?"

"DON' PLAY GAMES WITH ME!" he said, wobbling as he was clearly drunk, "YER HANGIN' 'ROUND THAT DAMN HELL-LANDER!"

"P-Papi listen to me I can explain!"

"I DON' NEED YER EXPLANATORY BULLSHIT, GO TO YER ROOM!"

"No! Just listen to me I-"

"I SAID GO TO YER ROOM!"

"UGH! I HATE YOU! YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!" Paula snapped. She ran upstairs crying and locked herself in her room.

That night, it seemed Shadic couldn't sleep. It was distressing to say the least. He sighed, "Oh Margo...help me here...what am I supposed to do…?"

Paula awoke to a strange noise. It sounded like laughter, but also crying. She rubbed her eyes and opened her door, looking out into the hallway.

The sound seemed to come from her father's room. She went down the hall and pushed the door open, but the bed was empty.

She then noticed the light coming from the cracked opened bathroom door. She went over and pushed it open, rubbing her eyes again, "Papi are you alri-"

Paula was suddenly wide awake when the sight before her sank in. Shadic was looking into a bathroom mirror, a bloody knife in hand.

He had carved a smiley face into his chest, and had a blue jacket wrapped around his waist. He turned to look at his daughter, a twisted grin on his face, "Do you like it princess…?"

Paula cringed at the sight, and was tempted to vomit just thinking about it. She turned and ran out of the house quickly, grabbing her phone off the kitchen counter and hiding in the closest tree.

Shadic had ran after her, but was too late to see where she had hidden. "OH?! YOU WANT TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK?! OKAY THEN...LET'S PLAY PRINCESS…!" he yelled, and ran off.

Paula sobbed, and dialed Tailsica's number as it began to rain. Tailsica answered surprisingly, "Paula…? What is it, it's three in the morning…"

Paula sobbed, "Th-There's something...wrong...with papi…!"

Tailsica suddenly sounded wide awake, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"He...he's...I saw him...he cut a smiley face into his chest...and he ran after me…! He's gone but...I-I don't know what to do…!"

"I'll be right over, okay? Stay where you are," she said, hanging up.

Shadic meanwhile was running around aimlessly, trying to find Paula. He eventually spotted another running around and skidded to a hault.

The figure itself ran over to him and halted as well. It was Tailsica.

"Shadic, what the fuck are you doing?! Where's Paula?!"

"Oh Tailsica, come to spoil my fun? I thought you were all about this sort of thing. I'm surprised you've been able to lie so long."

"Th-That's different, do you even realise you're scaring your own daughter?!"

"Oh it's all in good fun. Now, why don't you join the game too? I assure you, you'll have lots of fun."

"Don't make me do this Shadic, I don't wish to hurt you. Put the knife down, we can talk about this."

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that, and you don't have the guts...Terrisa."

Tailsica suddenly let out a scream of pure rage and lunged at Shadic, but he dodged to the side and grabbed a lock of her hair.

"Ah ah ah, thats no way to have fun," Shadic cooed as he pressed his knife against Tailsica's throat.

"You son of a bitch...I swear I will kill you.." Tailsica growled.

"Awww but we we're having so much fun together!" Shadic chuckled madly. This only made Tailsica madder.

She drove her elbow into his stomach, making Shadic let out a grunt of pain.

She grabbed the knife and kicked Shadic down before sitting on his stomach and holding the knife right above his eye.

"Don't make me do this Shadic…" She growled.

Shadic stared up at the knife that had turned against him before he suddenly scowled.

"NO ONE...TOUCHES...MISTER...STABBY..." Shadic's voice was different now, but Tailsica had no time to ponder as he grabbed her wrist and yanked her arm.

Tailsica let out a gasp as Shadic managed to get his feet on her stomach and flip them over to where he was on top of her now.

He then yanked the knife out of Tailsica's grasp and glared down at her.

"You're no longer allowed to play my game Tailsica. I will let you live, but with a price," He growled.

Tailsica stared up in fear at Shadic as he lifted the knife, and drove it into her shoulder. She let out a scream of pain as she felt the knife twist inside her shoulder before being yanked out.

"Bye Tailsica! I'll see you again one day," Shadic smirked before he got off the woman and walked away, but stopped before getting ten feet away from her.

He walked back and kneeled down to Tailsica and getting close to her face.

"Oh. And I know that you won't be able to lie your way out of this little, 'accident,' Terrisa." With that, Shadic was gone.

Tailsica slowly stood up and held her bleeding shoulder, it felt out of place, must of been dislocated.

Slowly she growled but knew she couldn't stay in this condition for long, so she turned, and slowly walked back to Shadic's house, where she knew she would find Paula.

Upon coming to the house, she heard sobbing, but it was clearly outside. She looked around, "Paula! It's me! You're safe!"

Slowly Paula climbed out of the tree she was in, and ran up and hugged Tailsica. Tailsica cringed, due to the wound in her shoulder.

Paula noticed the smell, and let go, "Gr-Gramma...Did he do that to you…?"

"More or less, yeah...listen Paula, he's insane. I don't think he's coming back anytime soon. Sorry to tell you."

Paula looked down, "I don't understand...why would he do this…?"

"I don't know sweetie," Tailsica sighed, seeming defeated.

After that, Paula seemed to slowly put her foot down. She started, by ordering the castle guards to search for her father. Then she began to become more bitter thought still mature.

She was definitely more commanding, and like a princess should be. She slowly began developing a hatred for her father, and began writing up his sentence when he was caught.

She carefully watched the reports on the news, and from her guards as well. He was quiet at first, until they found the first victim.

Her name was Tiffany, she was a bat with blue fur that was known by the police for a rape charge filed years ago. She had cuts everywhere, and was too traumatized to speak.

Paula knew it was her father, because the investigators found a large smiley face drawn in blood on one of the walls. That eventually became his calling card and they tracked him with it.

Paula was determined to capture him, and everytime she saw a photo of him, she wanted to strangle him, torture him, make him feel pain like he's never felt before. And that would not change in the coming years.

Andy stood back, admiring the progress of his work. A small girl, positioned as a fetus was floating in a green tube, fangs slightly poking from her mouth.

"Good, everything is going according to plan. Soon she will be alive, and ready to serve me…!" he stated.

"I wouldn't quite count on it being a complete success so far as orders go," the same shadowy figure from earlier said.

"What makes you say that Master Riku? I am creating a half bred not a pure blood."

"Think again idiot."

The figure pointed out small black wings poking out of the girl's back. Andy scowled, "Oh damn it all! A black blood of all things! How am I supposed to command a bloody black blood?!"

"Perhaps, it could work to our advantage."

"How so?"

"Black bloods kill everything don't they?"

Andy stayed quiet but then smirked, and both chuckled madly.

The next few weeks the girl began developing quickly, and just as it looked like Andy was going to have his way, things shifted against his favor.

It was a full moon, and there was a small hole in the ceiling, due to Andy's misusage of his own powers. The moonlight shone on the tube.

In an instant the girl's eyes snapped open, and shifted to look at Andy, who's back was turned. Suddenly, he heard a crashing noise, like glass breaking, and turned to see the tube was shattered, the liquid keeping the girl alive pouring out.

She stood up, and spread out her wings, hissing at him.

He growled, "Damn it all…! Come here! Obey!"

The girl shook her head and hissed, and suddenly flew up and out the hole in the ceiling. She was too fast for him to even think about following.

The girl kept flying, eventually reaching a rather foggy town. Due to the fog, it was difficult to see, and she crashed into a pole, falling to the ground and breaking one of her wings.

The girl woke up the next morning, but she was in a nightgown, and had no memory of the night before. She noticed she was in a rather dirty bed.

She looked around, and bumped into a door. Glancing up she opened it, and walked out, only to bump into another girl. They both fell to the ground and rubbed their heads.

When she looked up, she noticed the girl she had bumped into was at least a teenager. She had long ears, lavender fur and purple hair. She was clearly a dog.

"Oh...I'm sorry! Are you okay…?" she squeaked, standing up and helping the other girl do the same.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine...it's alright. It happens," she assured her.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"You're in the orphanage of...well...an orphanage. And my name is Perrywinkle. What's yours?" Perrywinkle asked,

"I...I don't have a name…"

"Hmm...how about Margo?"

"Margo?" The girl questioned.

"Just seems to fit."

"Okay... M-Margo it is…" Margo whispered, almost shyly.

Shadic was washing up in his new home. It was an abandoned cabin that was practically falling apart far into the woods.

He growled, "Stupid bitch, why must she get in my way? Oh boo hoo, your daddy's gone, so what? I'm in control now! Just feeling that tingling sensation whenever Andy toys with his mind is wonderful."

He began to pace, "Let's see...who else is on the list for his vendetta…? Ah...yes...that green one, what's his name? Kelvin, yes Kelvin."

Shadic then grabbed his knife, and headed for the door.

Kelvin, meanwhile, was in the market, intimidating his way out of paying for his items. Andy was watching himself, and noticed Shadic was disguised in the crowd of shoppers.

He smirked, and used his powers to cause a little pack of gum Kelvin was holding to slip into an alleyway. Shadic noticed this, and quickly hid in it's shadows.

Kelvin rolled his eyes, and gave chase to the rogue pack of gum. However, once he kneeled down to grab it, he felt something grab him, and put a cloth over his mouth.

He kicked, and tried to scream, but found himself getting sleepy, and was soon unconscious.

When Kelvin awoke, he found himself tied to a table that seemed to be lifted in the air.

"Ngh… Where… Where am I?" Kelvin rasped.

"Hello Kelvin," A voice whispered in the dark, "I'm so glad you're awake,"

"What the-?! Where am I!? Who are you?!" Kelvin yelled.

"Oh but it would ruin the fun~!" the voice cooed.

"I swear I will fucking kill you if y-" Kelvin didn't finish his sentence as a knife flew out of the darkness and stuck to the wood right next to his ear.

It took only a moment before Kelvin felt blood trickle down his ear. The knife had cut him.

"Learn to be patient Kelvin. I don't want to hurt you more than I have to. I actually want to keep you alive. For now." The voice said as a figure came out of the darkness.

Kelvin couldn't see the person's face because he wore a hood and the shadows helped hide his identity.

"Who the hell are you..?"

"All in due time. All in due time…" The man said as he went up to Kelvin and yanked the knife away.

"What the hell do you plan on doing with me?!" Kelvin yelled.

He began to struggle against the straps holding him to the table, amazed at how strong the bonds were.

"Oh stop struggling. It's no use. Anyways, I have something for you!" The man suddenly sounded happy as he vanished back into the shadows.

Kelvin waited a moment before the man came back with a syringe in his hand.

"W-What's that for..?" Kelvin's voice started to crack, he was starting to get scared.

"Oh, just something for the pain!"

"What?!" Kelvin suddenly let out a yelp of pain as he felt the needle go into his arm and he was injected with whatever was inside of the syringe.

Whatever it was that the man gave him, it worked fast, within moments of the injection, Kelvin was numb and he was a bit delusional.

"Hm. What did I give you?" The man's voice questioned and he looked at the syringe. "Oh. Morphine. I heard it was addictive. Oh well. We'll see! Time to begin!"

Kelvin looked up with unfocused eyes as he saw the knife come at him and slice into his arm. He couldn't feel it at all!

The man chuckled a bit seeing Kelvin wide eyed at his own blood, and continued with the arm for a moment, making sure not to hit anything vital, before turning to Kelvin's torso.

"Oh no. Your shirt is in the way. Time to cut it!" The man grabbed Kelvin's shirt and sliced it down the middle, exposing his victim's bare chest.

"N... No…!" Kelvin managed to choke out in his drugged state, thinking that the man was going to do other things to him.

"Now now Kelvin. I don't do anything that you're thinking. I just like seeing blood."

The man continued his work on Kelvin, carving little designs into his victim's skin and eventually settling with a smiley face on Kelvin's stomach area.

"Wh...Why are... You doin' this...?"

"Oh Kelvin. It's a game!" The man cooed as he pointed the knife at Kelvin's eye.

"Who… Who are you...?"

"Me?" The man chuckled and took off his hood, revealing himself to be Shadic.

"I'm your worst nightmare."

Shadic scowled and slowly slid the knife into Kelvin's eye. Kelvin still could not feel anything as he watched in horror as his eye got pulled out of it's socket, only held by a cord into his head.

Shadic took the eye in his hand and severed the cord with the knife.

"I think I'm done here for today. Don't worry, I won't let you bleed out Kelvin. I need you here for a little while." Shadic said.

Kelvin didn't say anything, he had passed out when he saw his eye get cut out. Shadic rolled his eyes and went back into the shadows before coming back with some bandages.

He bandaged up Kelvin twice before the bleeding stopped and he checked for his victim's pulse, still there.

"Good. Tomorrow we get more fun. Maybe I can get you addicted to morphine as well!" Shadic spoke to Kelvin's sleeping body before he unstrapped the man from the table and dragged him away.

For three days Shadic repeated his process on Kelvin, tie him up, morphine, and cut. But Shadic knew if he kept this up Kelvin would run out of blood for him to see, so he stopped after day three to let Kelvin rest.

Shadic dragged the drugged man into his basement and used the only set of chains he could find to keep Kelvin still before giving Kelvin some water that he had stole from a market.

"Why... Keeping me... Alive...?" Kelvin murmured.

"I need you alive Kelvin. The authorities won't get me if i have a hostage. So long as you stay alive, I won't get shoved into jail."

Shadic ears flicked as he heard a growl, it was a stomach growl.

"You must be hungry… I'll get you some food. Stay here."

"I have… No choice…" Kelvin murmured before he passed out.

Shadic sighed and heard his own stomach growl, he hasn't had food in a few days, just like Kelvin. May as well go see the traps he set up throughout the forest.

He left Kelvin and left the house, putting the hood of his hoodie up and diving into the bushes.

He came home a few hours later with a dead rabbit and a dead squirrel in his hand. Shadic stayed outside while he skinned and gutted the animals before he went back inside to an old stove.

Shadic started a fire in the stove and put the squirrel and rabbit right on top of the fire. Soon the air filled with the smell of cooking meat, and soon the food was ready to eat.

Shadic got the meat out of the fire with his knife and went down to Kelvin to see him awake and with a drug hangover.

"Owwww…" Kelvin whimpered as every movement he did caused a wave of pain to wash through him.

"Here, have the rabbit. You need more meat than me." Shadic said as he handed the rabbit to him.

"... Thanks." Kelvin said as he took the rabbit and tore a chunk out with his teeth.

They both ate in silence. After they ate, Kelvins' pains got worse on a full stomach.

"Do you...Got anymore morphine?" Kelvin whimpered.

"You're asking for it now?"

"Please... It hurts too much...!"

"Fine." Shadic said as he pulled out a syringe from his hoodie pocket and stuck the needle into Kelvin, injecting the morphine into Kelvin's system.

Soon Kelvin sighed as the pain faded and then he passed out once again.

The next day, Shadic began playing with his victim's mind while he worked, "I don't know why, but I expected better of you. For a bully, you're such a baby."

Kelvin sniffled, not receiving any morphine prior to the procedure no matter how many times he asked.

"Oh shush. At least you're still alive." Shadic said as he made a gash against Kelvin's inner thigh, causing the male to yelp and try to close his legs, but to no avail.

"Now Kelvin, hold still or I might hit an artery." Shadic said.

"WHY DON'T YOU KILL ME AND GET IT OVER WITH?!" Kelvin screamed.

Shadic suddenly grabbed Kelvin around his neck and squeezed to where the man was choking to get some air. He glared into Kelvin's remaining eye.

"I told you. I don't want to kill you. Now learn to shut up you worthless peice of shit or I wont feed you tonight." Shadic said coldly.

Kelvin could see black at the edges of his vision as he struggled to breath, but Shadic refused to release his hold for another minute before letting go.

Kelvin gasped the wonderful breath of air and coughed, feeling his neck hurting and still slightly struggling to breath. Then he passed out.

"Poor thing... Been through a lot in the little time I've had him… Maybe he wants a friend… Yeah… That must be it." Shadic suddenly smirked before he took Kelvin back to his holding place and left his house.

When Kelvin awoke he saw a face in front of him, looking asleep.

"J-Jennifer...?!" Kelvin yelped, tears flowing down his face.

"I got you a friend Kelvin!" Shadic popped his head up next to Jennifer, "Unfortunately she didn't want to come quietly, so I had to cut her up quite a bit. Made a bit of a mess before I could drag her."

"Did... Did you... Kill her?"

"No. Not yet. But if she screams while she's here I'm going to have to. I can't have people screaming their lungs out to reveal where I am."

"D-Don't hurt her anymore... I'll do anything just... Leave her be..!"

"Oh? Does Kelvin actually give a shit for once? Well, don't worry. I just wanted you to have a friend." Shadic said before dragging Jennifer to the opposite wall and chaining her up.

Then he checked to make sure she didn't have anything she could use to break free of her chains. Afterwards he looked to Kelvin.

"As long as she keeps her voice down, no harm will come to her, tell her that when she awakens." With that, Shadic left.

It didn't take long for Jen to wake up after Shadic left.

"Hnn...? Where...? Where am I?" Jennifer murmured.

"J-Jen...! I-I'm so glad you're okay! L-Look, you shouldn't make too much noise down here okay?"

"What...? Kelvy...? What are you talking about?"

"Shadic, he-he's worse than what we saw on the news. I've been here for days, possibly weeks, I don't know, but he's gone mad. He told me that if you make too much noise, he will kill you."

"What did he do to you? Y-Your eye…!"

"He did all of this to me, don't worry though, f-for the most part he's been giving me morphine for the pain. And whatever else he's doing, I haven't gotten any infections."

"I'm going to knock that fucker's teeth out for this! Just like we used to do in high school, c'mon Kelvy, get a grip! He wants you to be afraid!"

"But... Jen... How do we get out? All of our stuff is taken, and I am in no state to run."

"Then we have to improvise. C'mon Kelvy, we've intimidated people just by burning them with a cigarette. Surely there's something he fears."

"Well we haven't exactly become the best of friends since I've been here!" Kelvin snapped.

"We weren't friends with his dumb faggot friend either but we found a way to get him to know his place. It's the only way we're gonna get the hell outta here. And so help me I will rip out his eyeballs the first chance I get."

Kelvin just growled and turned to his side, feeling pain flare up in his wounds and visibly flinched.

"Let's… Let's just think over it for a while…" Kelvin whimpered.

Jennifer sighed, she had never seen Kelvin like this since elementary school. Whatever that man whore did to Kelvy musta messed 'im up real bad Jennifer thought.

Soon a barely familiar face returned to the basement, and Jennifer seemed on the edge of laughing, "Pfft...is that you Shadic? You look stupid."

Without warning, she received a slap across the face, "How dare you?! I'm gonna fuckin' break all your limbs once I break free!"

"Oh...I don't think that will happen. Take one good look at your fuck buddy Jenny. Cause it's exactly how you're going to be once he gives up. And I can tell that he's coming close," Shadic hissed, seeming in a particularly bad mood.

Jennifer just spat in his face and began cursing and screaming at him. Shadic didn't even acknowledge her after that, and focused on Kelvin.

"S-Shadic…?" Kelvin whimpered.

"It makes me wonder how close I can get to your manliness till you're screaming to keep you balls." Shadic said as he pulled out a knife.

"What?! N-No! Please no!" Kelvin yelped and tried to scoot away, but Shadic grabbed his leg and made a deep gash on Kelvin's inner thigh causing the male to scream in pain.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I TAKE OUT YOUR OTHER EYE," Shadic hissed and made another gash, closer to the crotch area on Kelvin.

"No! Stop!" Kelvin struggled against Shadic.

Shadic finally lashed out and swiped his knife across Kelvin's face, causing the male to scream as blood poured out from the wound.

"Maybe I'll leave you alone when you're broken, but right now, no. NOW HOLD STILL!" Shadic growled before turning back to Kelvin's leg and making another gash.

"STOP!" Jennifer finally screamed.

Shadic snapped back to look at her.

"KNOCK IT OFF YOU...YOU FUCKER!" she screamed again.

"You want me to leave him alone? Fine. You've earned yourself a good lashing anyways," he snapped as he walked over to her.

He grabbed a hammer, and tore off her shoes. He then began slamming the hammer on each of her toes. She screamed in agony.

This only made Kelvin more distraught, but despite his pleads, Shadic continued to keep his focus on Jennifer. Once he had broken all her toes, he stared at her fingernails.

They were painted purple to match her highlights. Jennifer saw he had red eyes rather than the blue ones she knew from her school days, but she could clearly see they were half in half in that moment. He scowled, "I hate purple."

He grabbed a set of tweezers, and began pulling off the defenseless girl's fingernails. She kept screaming and crying, causing black streaks that was once mascara to pour down her cheeks along with her tears.

Eventually Shadic became fed up with her constant screaming and crying, and grabbed a needle and some thread.

He began sewing her mouth shut, struggling to keep her head still the whole endeavor. Eventually he managed to pull it off, though Jennifer was still trying prefusely to scream at him.

Shadic began ripping out her hair, but only the bits with highlights, and finally returned to Kelvin. He grinned, "So Kelvin...do you like what you see?"

Kelvin was breathing heavily and tears were streaming down his face, "W-Why… Why…"

"Because I wanted to. I think I'm done for the night.. Goodnight Kelvin." With that Shadic left the room.

Kelvin's mind was shattered, he didn't know what to do at the moment other than curl into a ball and rock back and forth in pure fear.

Jennifer however, was still struggling, seeming to have more fight in her. But the fact that Shadic had done what he did to her didn't make her so violent in this moment.

It was the fact he did it to torture Kelvin, and that was something she could never stand. She growled through her sewn mouth and didn't stop struggling the whole night. Even when Shadic had come back the next day she was still struggling.

Shadic began to grow more impatient with the girl however as the days went by. He kept by his promise to Kelvin that he would keep him alive, but he never said anything about Jennifer.

He smirked, knowing this and decided it was time to break Kelvin for good. One day in visiting them for their "treatment" he went straight to Jennifer, as opposed to Kelvin first.

He leaned down and whispered sadistically in her ear, "I hope you were expecting to go out like the bitch you are, because that's precisely what you're going to do today."

Jennifer futilely attempted to scream, but with her mouth still sewn shut, she was practically silent. But her eyes widened when he forced her to lay back on the cold floor.

She looked up, and saw he was holding a cinderblock. He grinned, and chuckled a bit, "Say goodnight forever, Jenny! Cause it's going to be long nap~!"

Jennifer finally cracked, and began to cry, seeming to attempt to plead for mercy through her muffled lips. Kelvin however was covering his ears, trying hard to believe that it wasn't real.

But blood splattered on his cheek, and he finally lost it, and he screamed higher than he had ever screamed down in that room.

Shadic laughed maniacally, "Aww, what's that matter Kelvy?! Can't take it?!"

"Just...kill...me…" he suddenly said, sounding more calm than before.

"Kill you? I make the rules here. You're not done until I say you are," Shadic snapped.

"Just do it already… I have nothing now…" Kelvin whispered.

"No. You still have a lesson to learn. And unless I get caught or you die from blood loss, you are not leaving this world." Shadic growled.

"You're just a murderous fiend…" Kelvin whimpered before his mind finally went into shock, and he passed out.

Margo and Perrywinkle were staring up a tall wall that kept their area cut off from the rest of the world. "You really wanna do this?"

"Yeah. I need to find out who I am. And someone knows it," Margo replied, her voice a bit shaky.

"Well. Now or never I suppose," Perrywinkle said with a shrug.

Margo reluctantly spread out her wings, for she had always hated them. She then grabbed Perrywinkle, and carefully flew over the wall. Once they landed, they noticed it was just as misty as their home.

Not only that, but barren, dead trees and bushes were scattered everywhere, and a small swamp was in the distance.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," Perrywinkle said nervously. Margo folded her wings, and glanced around like a curious puppy.

Her eyes locked on a shadowy figure walking towards them. And she panicked, "Wh-Who's there?!"

The figure stepped forward, and it was none other than Enu himself, "Hmm...looks just like her mother...and is just as cowardly too…!"

Margo began to sniffled, ready to cry. Perrywinkle scowled, "Beat it! We're busy!"

"Oh? And what're you gonna do if I don't brat?" he snapped.

Perrywinkle gulped, and backed away with Margo nervously, "I-I'm gonna...RUN AWAY!"

The two girls began speeding away from the creature as it gave chase, not stopping for a moment, turning any way they had to.

Suddenly, Margo tripped on a rock, knocking Perrywinkle down in the process and causing them to tumble downwards.

They eventually stopped, and rolled into a flourishing, green bush. This confused them, but stayed quiet. They heard footsteps reach near them, a growl, then more footsteps, only they faded off.

They both gave out a sigh of relief, and stood up. They noticed they were out of the mist, and in a forest that was more lively than the previous one.

Margo turned to Perrywinkle, "So...is this where your map is supposed to be?"

Perrywinkle looked at her map carefully, and nodded. They began off on their journey. However, Margo seemed even more distraught than before they left.

What Perrywinkle didn't know, is that Margo was having ludicrous nightmares, and hearing voices in her head. Eventually, she began talking to herself, as if she had made an imaginary friend.

This irritated Perrywinkle, since Margo was older than that, and thought she was just being ridiculous. Eventually, she addressed it directly, "Margo...you know this...Andy guy isn't real right?"

"He is real! I know he is! You wouldn't know!" Margo snapped.

"Chill out! I don't want you going crazy!"

"I AM NOT...CRAZY!" she screamed, her voice sounding more demonic each word she spat. Her black wings spread out, and her eyes reverted to a red hue. She stood up, and her fangs grew out.

Perrywinkle's eyes widened at the sight, and she flinched when Margo hissed at her. However, Margo, rather than pouncing on Perrywinkle, flew off.

Perrywinkle noticed the moon was full. And sighed.

Margo meanwhile flew around seeming to rely on animal instinct. While flying, she noticed a small figure by a lake.

She hissed, and flew down, grabbing it, and tossing her onto the top of a tree. She noticed she looked familiar. She pulled out a photo she had been keeping in her pocket and looked back and forth.

Though Margo didn't know, it was Paula. She had been going to the lake to try and comprehend her situation every night for years.

Margo sniffed her, then grabbed her again, so violently she accidentally broke one of Paula's arms. Paula screamed and cried in pain, causing Margo to let go from the sudden loud noises.

Margo's ears flicked up, hearing more screaming, and noticed she had dropped her. She flew down, and quickly grabbed her once more, and put her on the ground, flying off.

Paula's eye twitched, "Was that...my mom…?!"

The next morning, Perrywinkle woke up, and saw no sign of her friend. She sighed, packed up, and headed off once more. Eventually she came by a gravestone near a lake.

She read the engravement, mentioning a wife, mother, and friend, but not being able to see the name. She shrugged, and turned to leave, but suddenly felt something hit her face, and she landed on the ground.

She propped herself up, then sat up, rubbing her cheek, "What the fu-"

She got hit again, and finally looked up, seeing an angry gray wolf that looked like the one in the photo Margo was always carrying, but older, taller, and the mark on his bangs was different.

He seemed angry, "What the hell dude?! You got a problem or somethin'?!"

"GET...AWAY...FROM HER…" he growled through his clenched teeth.

Perrywinkle glanced at the grave, then back to the enraged wolf, "Oh...s-sorry I meant no disrespec-"

"LIES!" he suddenly screamed, and began beating the helpless girl.

However, he was suddenly tackled down by a blur of orange and black. He looked up, and it was none other than Margo herself.

She still looked like she had when she ran off the night before, wings spread out as well. She growled, "DON'T...TOUCH...HER…"

"Y-You...you're...that's n-not possible…!" he began to stammer.

"SHUT UP! You've caused enough trouble for your own personal death sentence...but I will let you go...if you will leave here at once…!"

She got off the confused wolf, and he ran off. Her wings folded, and her eyes became blue once more as her fangs began to shrink.

"Are you okay Perry?" she asked, helping her friend up.

"I-I'm fine. What was that about?"

"Nothing. Let's just keep going."

The two headed off together once more, eventually coming across someone else. It was when Margo noticed a small hut that had a pathway going away from it.

Margo had her friend stay outside, and carefully walked in. "Welcome weary traveler, I trust you are here for answers?"

Margo seemed to stiffen, "Wh-Who's there…? I'll hurt you if you try anything…!"

The voice laughed, "No no. I am not going to do that child. Would you like me to tell you your future?"

"Um...I don't have any money…" she said, timidly.

"I do not want your money, just your trust in me," it said, as a figure walked out of the shadows of the dimly lit hut. It was a rather strange looking creature, her bangs covering her face, and wearing a brown dirty cloak.

"...o-okay…" Margo said, still unsure.

"Come. Sit. I will give you some tea, yes?"

"Alright. Sure."

Margo took a scrunchie from her pocket, and put up her hair. She had a rather strange thing about it whenever she ate or had a drink.

The woman set the tea in front of her, and introduced herself as Zersa. She moved a crystalline ball onto the table, and blew out a couple candles.

"What is your name child?"

"M-Margo."

"Margo, I want you to look deep into the ball. Look hard, and look long. What do you see?"

"I...I see...my friend...Andy...he's...he's burning everything! A village! He's...he's taking some girl and...oh no…! No no no…!"

"Calm Margo. Deep breaths. Look for some hope. Where do you see it?"

"I...I see...that girl...the one that looks like me, the mistress…! She's...trying to get to him...he's...crying…?"

The images suddenly faded away, and Margo began to panic, "NO! What...what was that…?! What's going to happen…?! Please Zersa!"

The woman shook her head, "The ball only shows what you must know. No more than that."

Margo looked down at her tea, "...I think...I know...what I have to do…"

It had been months after Kelvin had given out on Shadic, and he was quickly growing bored, "Let's see...what else are you hiding…? Ah, that hedgehog...not only attacked your father, kept your girl from you, but stole the one that had stolen your heart to begin with. Perfect."

Shadic made haste, and set off.

Shadow meanwhile, was out in the forest with his adopted son, Talon. He was showing him the lake where he had proposed to his wife.

"Ew! Love is ga-ross!" Talon commented just listening to the story.

"You might think so now, but you might not when you get older," he said, chuckling.

Talon just rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Shadow's ears flicked up, and he told Talon to stay put. Slowly, he approached a bush he was sure he heard the noise coming from.

Talon himself was rather uneasy, and suddenly shouted after his father, "NU WAIT!"

It was too late, Shadow fell over, seemingly dizzy, and Talon quickly ran up. "Go...get...help...go...find...your mother…!" Shadow said before he passed out.

Talon did as told, and ran off. Meanwhile, Shadic emerged from the shadows, holding a syringe, "Heh heh. We meet again, hedgehog."

When Shadow came to, he was tied up by his wrists and ankles. He noticed he was in a dark room, that's when he remembered seeing Shadic last before passing out.

He growled, "That son of a bitch…!"

Soon, Shadic came down the steps and right up to the enraged hedgehog, "Hello Shadz. Miss me? I missed you."

"You sick bastard. You won't get away with this! And there's no way you'll reach my family either! My wife and my boy are both smart, you'll never catch them!"

Shadic rolled his eyes, "I'm not after your stupid brat or your whore of a wife. I'm after you. If I wanted your boy I would've grabbed him while he was most vulnerable. Right at your feet."

"What do you want with me?" Shadow hissed.

"I hate you. You stole her heart from my grasp, and I hate you for it. Sure, I settled with your...daughter…!" he said, seeming to cringe at even mentioning his former wife.

"But I never really wanted her anyways. But you do seem to have a thing for me don't you? I remember every bit of that night. And I let you do that to me. It wasn't a moment of passion, I wanted you to make a fool of yourself."

Shadow growled even more, "I KNEW I NEVER SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED YOU. I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU."

"Aww, did I huwt your feewings Shaddy-waddy?" Shadic said, mockingly.

"You're nothing but a traitorous bastard!"

"Oh now I'm hurt Shadow, why would you say something like that to me?" Shadic pretended to sniffle, mocking his friend.

"I will kill you after what you've done! I bet you're the reason Margona's dead!"

Shadic's eyes widened, and his eyes became halfway blue, "I DID NOT LAY A HAND ON HER AND YOU KNOW IT! HOW DARE YOU TRY AND ACCUSE ME?!"

Shadow growled once more, "I have no reason to believe anything you say anymore."

Shadic's eyes reverted back to red, "Believe what you want hedgehog. You will be dead soon, leaving the whore for me and me alone."

Shadic's stomach suddenly growled, "Damn. Freaking rabbit wasn't enough. I'll be back my pet, just stay put like a good boy."

And with that, Shadic left. Shadow however, began trying to look for weak spots in his ties. He always believed Shadic was stupid, then he found that his wrists were tied up with a bandanna.

He smirked, noticing it was loose, and almost laughed. He pulled until it came loose and untied his feet. He eventually got down to the floor.

However, he could hear more footsteps than just what you would hear if one person were in the house. He began to panic, thinking Shadic had "friends" keeping watch.

However, Shadow went up the stairs and gently pushed the door open. He noticed a small girl was hiding under the table. She seemed familiar.

The girl looked up, and whispered, "There's a maniac in here…! You gotta get out…!"

"I know. Did he leave?"

"I think...I heard a door open...it might just be my friend though."

"Friend? There's more of you?"

"Just two. We were just looking for shelter! It's raining!"

"Well, the rain would be much less of a threat to you at this point!"

"Fine. But...do you know how to get to a place called the Vampire Kingdom?"

"Yeah. I'll take you there later, but right now we need to leave."

"Got it!"

Just then they heard a door slam and Shadow quickly panicked and dragged the girl farther up the steps to what looked like a bedroom.

He shoved her inside a closet and hoped like hell that she would remain hidden as he ran back down the steps and back to where he started. making it look like he had remained tied up.

Shadic came down to the basement with a large rabbit in his hand and set it down before sitting in front of Shadow.

"I never really did understand why Tailsica fell for you, after all I saved her from my father beating her to death countless times," Shadic said before beginning to cut off the skin of the rabbit.

"Grr…"

"Do you want some rabbit Shadow? I'm sure you're hungry after a long day."

"No thank you," Shadow growled.

"Very well then, more for me," Shadic stated as he cut off a slice of the rabbit meat and ate it raw.

Shadow could have vomited at the sight, it was disgusting to eat raw meat.

However, he was distracted by another figure in the darkness of the room. It also looked quite familiar. Suddenly, Shadic fell to the floor as he was kicked in the face.

Margo stepped out of the darkness, and glared down at him, wings spread out, "DEMON CHILD! WHY ARE YOU INVADING THIS BODY?!"

"H-How can you see me?!" Shadic said, seeming nervous all the sudden and his voice sounding almost like a teenager.

Perrywinkle came out of the darkness as well, untying Shadow again and leading him upstairs.

"WHO IS YOUR MASTER BOY?!"

"I-I don't have one!"

Margo pressed a claw against his throat, "WHO IS HE?!"

Shadic screamed, though it cracked, "A-Andy and Riku! Th-They set me up! I was only supposed to be here temporarily! It was Shadic that let me take full control!"

"SO YOU TOYED WITH HIS PAST AND INVOLVED YOURSELF WITH HIS ENEMIES?! I SHOULD KILL YOU!"

"P-Please spare me! I just needed a body! And I've been so bored sitting in that void he calls a mind! Please!"

"WHY HAS THIS BODY GIVEN UP?!"

"I-I donno! I could care less about his life! I gotta look out for my own!"

"CONSIDER THIS A WARNING IMPERTINENT CHILD. I WILL BE BACK IF YOU CAPTURE ANYONE ELSE. UNDERSTAND?"

"I-I swear I wont! I-I'll even come with you so you can keep an eye on me! I won't capture anyone again!"

"I SHALL NOT TAKE YOU. YOU DESERVE TO ROT IN THIS HELL YOU HAVE CREATED!"

"I-I-I…" Shadic's voice trailed off as tears started to fall down his face and he began to hyperventilate.

He was on the edge of a panic attack, and Shadow could see it.

"Shadic!" Shadow yelled and quickly went to the panicking man and grabbed his shoulders, "Widow Sweet! Widow Sweet!"

Shadic's eyes locked on Shadow's eyes for a long moment before his eyes turned blue and seemed to widen in surprise.

"Shadow..?" Shadic's voice sounded different now, almost like his old self, "Where… Am I?"

Shadow tried to answer but Shadic passed out, his body seeming to go into a minor shock as he gained full control back to his body.

Shadow scowled, "...Hmph…" He turned his back, and he and Margo traversed up the stairs, but didn't notice Perrywinkle stay back.

She stared at the unconscious man, finally recognizing him, "...You...you're…"

Suddenly, Shadic's eyes snapped open, and he sweeped his leg to trip the distracted girl. She fell, and before she could get her bearings, he grabbed her ears.

She screamed out, but Margo and Shadow were a far ways from her by that point, still not noticing their missing party.

However, once the two reached the village, Margo finally noticed her friend was missing, "Perry? Perry?! Where is she?!"

Shadow tried desperately to calm her down, but to no avail. He eventually was forced to resort to knocking her out.

Margo woke up, only to find she was in a rather torn up bed. She got up, and began walking around. She noticed all the furniture was torn as the bed was, pictures and posters were even on the floor.

Glass cracked or completely broken, and even some knick knacks broken or damaged as well. The sight made her sad. She stepped on one of the broken frames and gasped.

She looked down, and saw the exact same photo she had all these years. She knew this was the place she had been searching for, for so long.

She left the room, only to find much of the same condition in the hall. She gently ran her fingers against the photos that still hung desperately from the walls.

But it was just one room that caught her attention, that had no major damage as the rest of the home did. It seemed to be a girl's room. She walked in, but didn't find much.

She then made her way downstairs, only to see a girl that looked just as old as Perrywinkle sitting on the floor. Though she had been carefully quiet, using her wings as not to alert anyone in the home, the girl seemed to speak as though she knew she was there.

"I've had nothing but pure hatred for him ever since he left me. I never hated him like that before...Some would say we were best friends really…"

Margo decided to take her chances, and spoke up, "Y-You...you're the baby from that photo...wh-where is this place…?"

"Whatever is left of my home after my father destroyed all of it. I guess this means you've been looking for him too?"

"So...If he's your father...then...am I-"

"No."

"Wh-What?"

The girl stood up, and finally turned to look at her. Her hair was a mess, all tangled, and her eyes were baggy and drenched in shadow.

She had a nasty glare on her face, "You aren't my mother. You will never be my mother. And the only reason you're here right now, is because I'm more compassionate than I appear."

Margo looked down, trying hard not to cry, "I wish I never tried to look for myself. This is horrible. Or is it…? No…! No…! Those visions, these conditions…! The fact that I am a black blood…! I am the end of this place!"

Paula growled, "GET OUT. GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK!"

Margo finally let tears run down her face, and she flew quickly out the open front door. She finally stopped in the middle of town. It was night, and it seemed no one was around.

She sobbed, and suddenly her ears flicked up. She turned and growled, "Go away! I hate you! It's your fault I'm like this!"

Andy stepped out of the shadows of an alleyway just beside her, "Aww, c'mon Margo. I thought we were friends."

"Go...away…! I told you…! It's your fault I'm like this…! I would never wanna be friends with you, you...you...ASSHOLE!"

"Aww Margo, you hurt my feelings, after all, I am the one who gave you life," Andy smirked.

"You created me as a black blood, you made me have constant nightmares, I HATE YOU! GO AWAY!" Margo growled.

Andy's smirk turned into a frown and he glared at Margo, "And if I don't?"

Margo let out a shriek and lunged at Andy, who's body got consumed by black flames and split apart to dodge the attack.

The flames went back together and quickly disappeared as Andy glared at Margo's wings.

"I never wanted you as a black blood, I was hoping for a mindless drone, but seeing as you have a mind of your own, I guess it works all the same." Andy growled and grabbed one of Margo's wings.

"LET GO OF ME!"

"Giving you the nightmares was supposed to reduce your sanity, much like I did with Shadic before the demon took control of him. But no. You are stronger willed than that little WHORE." Andy gave Margo's wing a hard yank, and he heard a pop as it got dislocated and caused Margo to scream.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Margo got her wing out of Andy's grip and threw a wild punch.

Her fist connected to the side of Andy's face and his body jerked with the energy behind it.

They stayed still for a long moment in the same position, and slowly, Andy began to chuckle madly.

"You just sealed this kingdom's fate little girl," Andy's voice sounded crazy, all sanity lost, "And you can watch as this kingdom burns in the fires of Hell."

Andy's body got consumed once more into flames and the flames disappeared with Andy, no where to be seen. Margo gasped in fear, but knew that she couldn't stop Andy in the state he was in now.

She needed help. But her wing began to bleed quickly, and she found herself becoming dizzy. She fell over, and saw two blurry figures, feeling so overcome with distraught, she practically let herself fall unconscious.

Meanwhile, Shadic was sitting in front of Perrywinkle, having stopped attacking when he saw her face and is now just staring at her, a bit grumpy because she managed to get his knife, but tolerating it.

Perrywinkle had taken up a temporary therapist, instantly seeing that Shadic's eyes were red again and the demon child was back in control.

"So, why did you take control of his body again?"

"I kinda… Woke up in this body, it was a slight panic what I did at first, having no clue where I was."

"I see. I never did get your name by the way."

"Well, I'm not Shadic so I can't exactly go by that. Before this body, I was called Jeffory, Jeff for short."

"I see," Perry nodded and twiddled with the knife a moment, "But why kill?"

"Well... I honestly have no reason for that, it's just been fun," Jeff shrugged.

"And I see that with your knife in my hands, you've been on edge."

"I like my knife. Can I have it back?" Jeff reached for the knife but Perry held it away from him.

"Ah ah ah! No knife." Perry said.

"FINE." Jeff growled and sat back with his hands in his hoodie pocket and sighed, "By the way, it seems this body has some memories about you, but as a baby. I'm not sure why."

"We'll figure it out soon. Right now, I wanna know exactly why you would eat a raw rabbit."

"I never ate a raw rabbit!" Jeff cried in defense, but Perry pointed at the rabbit that was left out and had a missing chunk of it, "Oh. That rabbit."

Just then the door slammed open and in came Shadow. He seemed very mad. And he glared right at Jeff.

"You kidnapped this girl, right after you said you would stop!" He growled.

"What? No! No I didn't! She's been free to leave sin-" Jeff didn't finish his sentence as Shadow tackled him down.

Jeff screamed like a girl and tried his best to get away from Shadow, but with the male being older, and with more weight than Jeff, he was no match.

"Grandpa stop!" Perrywinkle suddenly shouted.

Shadow's ears perked up, "...That's not funny."

"I'm being serious! I never told you why I came here, I came here to find my father! And what I've found may not be what I was expecting, but I needed to make sure he wasn't actually crazy!"

"You realize your friend was worried sick?"

"...Where is she…?"

"I dropped her off with Paula. It took some convincing."

"Who?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Jeff suddenly screamed.

Shadow scowled, "You're in no position to insult me FILTH BLOOD."

"Enough with your nonsensical words man! Paula is highly unstable! I would know! I see how Andy toys with this body's mind! Do you have any idea what she's become?!"

"Who is Paula?" Perry asked.

Shadow scoffed, "You say that like you know her."

"Technically I do. I've seen enough to know exactly who she is."

"Alright fine, she hates her father. So what? I left Margo there."

"All the more reason why that was a bad idea!"

"QUIET!" Perrywinkle suddenly screamed, and both men looked up, "WHO...THE FUCK...IS PAULA?!"

"...Oh...right...you said you were...the 'other' daughter."

"'Other?!' What do you-" that's when Perrywinkle remembered she wasn't the only baby in the photo Margo had.

"...I have...a sister…?"

"Who just might wanna hurt your friend yes," Jeff said.

"..." Perrywinkle's eye twitched, and suddenly she pounced on Jeff, attempting to choke him, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU FUCKING DUMB ASS?!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW I CAN'T SEE ALL HIS MEMORIES!" Jeff cried, struggling to keep Perry's hands away from his neck.

"YOU SAID YOU KNOW HER ASSHOLE! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

"LET...GO...PLEASE…!"

Perrywinkle sighed, and finally let go, letting Jeffrey breathe.

After a while, he spoke up, "Technically, since I came across this body when it was younger, I had been sent back in time."

"What?"

"I knew Paula. I knew those sick bastards that always tormented her. I was going to kill them, I had my own bone to pick with them anyways."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"If you would let me finish…! We got into an arguement...I ran off, but I came upon a man of black flame. He went by Riku. Long story short, I got my legs ripped off and sent back in time. Conveniently so I came across the body of the father."

"You...are a maniac…!"

"No. I am a legless child. Teenager really. I just have a lust for murder," he said with a smirk.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Again, I want to know how Paula hating her father will be harmful to Margo. She agreed to take her in as I anticipated."

Jeff shook his head, "It's an act. She knows better. She's smart, she's angry, and she's depressed. When this body let me take control I was confused, but more or less glad. But the last thing I wanted to do was ruin her."

"And why specifically people he had something against?"

"I thought I'd at least do him a favor. After all, I feel pitiful that Andy is torturing him. So I began searching through any memories I could get to in order to find his vices."

"Wait! Wait, is this Andy person… This man?" Perry pulled out a different picture in her bag showing the photo was of Shadic in a one armed hug with Andy.

"Yes. As far as I know." Jeff said.

"What is the deal with him? Why is he doing this to Shadic?"

Jeffory laughed, "Oh...pure envy, foolish girl. Such a powerful thing. You know that friend of yours? She's just a fucking copy. Her past self was a fool. She ignored Andy's feelings, and chased after this body."

"...So that's why...He's been talking to her…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing. But where is he getting these powers?"

"Riku himself. They made a deal long ago, and it remains unbroken today. It will take a lot to get Andy to come to his senses, and I don't think it's possible at this point."

"What do you mean 'not possible'?" Shadow asked.

"I mean that Andy has been with Riku for a very long time, and if i remember right, the longer you're with that demon, the more hold he has on you."

"Is there any way to get him free?" Perry questioned.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just… I can't remember anything I read that might help us before getting into this body."

"Who says you're gonna help?" Shadow growled.

"Just so you know Shadow, if you dont shut up, I have more knock out stuff in my pocket here. I won't hesitate to stick you with this drug."

"I still hate you for that."

"Yeah yeah." Jeff sighed, "Anyways, I think it's just best we find your friend and get her outta-" He didn't finish his sentence as he suddenly got a massive headache and held his head.

"Jeff? Jeff what's wrong?!" Perry yelped.

"Damn this body… He's deciding to fight back now? When I'm trying to help?!"

"What's goin' on?" Shadow was surprised at the sudden change in Jeff just as much as Perry was.

Jeff continued to hold his head for a long moment before he finally sighed and let go, "Don't worry… Shadic's strength has weakened since being tortured by Andy.. Let's.. Let's just go find your friend Perrywinkle. Before something bad happens."

"Uh… Jeff?" Shadow said.

"What?"

"Your eyes and nose are bleeding right now."

"Huh?" Jeff wiped at his cheeks and saw that what Shadow said was true, but he just quickly wiped off as much of the blood as he could.

"What the hell was that about?!" Shadow questioned.

"Shadic's will must be stronger than I thought, he's basically punching the… Walls of his little void he's been in," Jeff explained, "It hurts his body but he's trying to gain full control back, not temporary full control."

"Then give it back to him! You already said you don't want to harm Paula! Do it!" Perrywinkle shouted.

"I can't. He's just as unstable as your sister. His emotions are off the charts. I cannot allow him full access till he realises that Andy is under demonic influence."

"So...there's really nothing we can do for him?"

"Not at this moment. No."

"... Let's go then." Shadow said.

Jeff nodded and stood up. Shadow and Perrywinkle did the same and they left the crumbling cabin.

Margo woke up, but didn't recognize the area she was in. She looked around, only seeing expensive looking furniture and knick knacks.

She stood up, and opened the door. Peeking out, she noticed the hallway was long and tall. Almost intimidating in it's own right.

She began walking down to the left and only became even more lost and confused. Eventually she bumped into a woman. She looked nervous, but also sad.

She had orange fur, curly hair and red eyes. She wore a dirtied brown cloak, and was clearly a wolf. She stood up, as well as Margo did and ran past her, seeming in a hurry.

Margo shrugged, and kept walking. Though she could've sworn she saw a glimmer of green out of the corner of her as the woman passed by.

Eventually she found a large door. Upon opening there was a pathway that lead to a tall and large gate. She pushed it open, and found herself in the village.

It was night once again, and she knew it could've been a matter of days since she fainted. She looked up, and saw an all too familiar figure standing atop the roof of one of the houses.

The figure appeared to be holding a lit match. She let her eyes wander downwards, and saw a large pile of hay straws.

She gasped, her wings spreading out, and looked back up. The figure let go of the match letting it fall onto the pile. Just as expected, it burst into flame, and quickly spread.

It wasn't long before the quiet air of the night was filled with screams. Not only of those burning in the unforgiving flame, but soon those trying to escape it.

Margo watched in horror, and seemed to break down. She curled into a ball, and black tentacles began slithering towards her.

"MARGO!"

She looked up, and saw Perrywinkle. She seemed to snap back to reality. She stood up, and began to cry and she ran up and hugged her friend tightly.

Perrywinkle forced her off however, "Margo! I should've listened! I knew there was a reason I only saw fire in my visions! But I didn't want to believe it was connected to-"

"I-It's okay Perry. I saw him. But he's gone, I just watched him do it. I-I didn't stop it!" Margo cried between sniffles.

"'Course you didn't." A voice said.

Margo looked and saw Shadic come up with Shadow, his hands in his pockets to show he meant no harm.

"Why are you here?!" Margo couldn't help but to growl.

"First off, You didn't take my knife to let me calm down, Perry here did. Second off, I think I know where Andy is."

"Where?!"

Jeff nodded his head to the castle, "That's the best place to watch the kingdom. Top floor. He can watch this place burn."

Margo grabbed Jeff by his hoodie and pulled him close in pure rage, "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT FIRST?!"

"Hey don't hate the legless teenager inside a sex crazed lunatic's body." Jeff said defiantly.

Margo ran off quickly before anyone can react. Jeff held his hands behind his head and turned to walk away, but only got a few steps away before his hood got grabbed by Shadow.

"Don't even think about walking away now. You're helping your damned mess with Paula." Shadow growled.

"I ain't coming quietly if that is what you're thinking." Jeff growled.

"Then I'll rip off you legs again if you ever get a new body of your own."

"Okay I'll come quietly," Jeff yelped and he was drug away by Shadow.

Margo meanwhile was running faster than she ever had in her life. She used his scent as a means to track him, since she hadn't been in this place before.

Eventually she seemed to reach him, only to find he wasn't there. "What? This doesn't make sense! I thought for sure that I-"

"Making sense? What fun is there in making sense?"

Margo growled, and looked up. Andy was practically hanging upside down from the ceiling. Only his feet were placed firmly down as if it were a floor.

"I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch!"

"Don't act like you care. You said it yourself, you let this happen. You let me out of your grasp."

"I won't make that mistake again. You'll die here and you'll die now," she hissed back at him acidly.

"Hmph, even a black blood cannot stop me. You are worthless, trashy, disgusting, from the gutter, low life scum. Go cry to your boyfriend, and stop pretending to be someone you're not."

Margo scowled, "You're a coward. You hide behind words like you're threatening. But you're not. You're just a petty little girl. I know exactly why you're doing this."

"Oh? Then you should know that you're nothing but a whore. Just like your past self."

"No. I am not. I do not care for him or you. I only care for my friends. And you have hurt them. You have done nothing but torture me, and now I'm going to return the favor."

"Then prepare to die, stupid filth blood," Andy sneered.

Margo screamed out in rage, and lunged at Andy, tackling him through the window.

Andy let out a yell of rage and looked at the ground as it quickly came to them. His body burst into black flames and he slid to where he was a few feet above Margo before the flames vanished.

"I WILL NOT DIE!" Andy yelled.

He burst into flames again and Margo saw him shoot to the roof of the castle. Her wings flew open and she quickly flew after him.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" She screamed.

Andy landed on the roof of the castle and the flames faded away, he looked down to Margo but he didn't see her, so he thought he was safe.

That only lasted a moment as he was suddenly slammed into from the side, he let out a screech of pure anger and fear as he felt fists connect to his face and body

"GET OFF ME!" He screamed.

Margo smirked, "Gladly," She hissed and slammed her fist against Andy's face.

The force threw him forward and he slammed into a wall, causing it to crack from the force. He slid down the wall, seeming unconscious for the moment.

Then he slowly moved and wiped the blood coming out of his nose.

"Huh... It's been a long time since I've bled." Andy chuckled, "OH How I've MISSED that feeling!"

"Good. Because there'll be a lot of it comin' up soon!" Margo growled.

"From you maybe."

"I don't think you wanna make that bet, Riku." She said.

"What?"

"Oh please Andy, I can tell when it's not you. Stay out of my affairs."

"Or WHAT?" Andy hissed.

"Or I'm sure you'll find even demons can die," she hissed back, lunging forward once more.

While this was all happening, Shadow, Perrywinkle, and Jeff were all making their way to Paula. She herself had been aware of the event, but gave no orders.

She had seemed to have given up hope, and had no life left in her eyes. Though not physically, she was dead in her own mind.

The trio finally stepped into the torn up home, and searched it. However, once they did, it wasn't a pretty sight.

Jeffory had come across an open door, and saw that Paula was sitting in the middle of the room. He also took note of the smashed possessions and furniture.

"G-Guys? I found her!" he said. But no one came.

He sighed, and knew he had to face his mistake on his own. He inched slowly, and carefully towards the broken girl.

He reached out a hand once he was close enough, "...Paula?"

Without warning, she turned and lunged at him trying to get her hands around his neck. Jeff screamed like a little girl.

She began screaming at him, only making sense once he actually started listening, "HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR LEAVING ME HERE!"

Jeff knew she was near insanity, and thought hard.

"No tag backs!" He yelped.

Paula seemed to snap out of it for a moment, "Wh-Wha?"

"N-No tag backs...need a second...to hide…!"

Paula blinked, and one of her eyes twitched, "...J...Jeff…?"

"S-Surprise?" he said, nervously.

Paula suddenly passed out, falling to her side. It was only then Jeff found that Shadow and Perrywinkle were watching the whole time.

"OH GEEZ. THANKS FOR THE HELP, ASSHOLES!"

"I wanted to see where it went," Shadow said with a shrug.

"SHE COULDA KILLED ME!"

"She didn't did she?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER! THIS BODY AND I COULD HAVE BOTH DIED!"

"Enough you two," Perry interrupted, "We have more pressing matters to attend to, what do we need to do with Paula?"

"Hell if I know, she just fainted." Jeff said.

"Let's wake her up then." Shadow suggested.

"I'd rather not have my ass handed to me by a girl again thanks."

"It's clear that little stunt you pulled worked. But...I have never seen so much hatred in someone's eyes."

Jeff sighed, "Dammit. I didn't wanna turn her into this. I didn't even think about it."

"It's just like my wife...only worse. It seems she's turned down the same path as her father."

"I think I know a way to get her to snap to reality."

Jeff and Shadow both looked up at Perrywinkle, who was staring at Paula's unconscious figure.

"I can get inside her mind. I can talk her down. If it's not too late…"

"Then do it. If it's really what you think will help her."

Perrywinkle stepped forward, and her eyes glowed a pure white. Her hair and ears seemed to float upwards, as if a wind were blowing them.

She found herself in a blackness, small white cracks here and there. In the middle she saw Paula, just as decrepit as she was before.

Perrywinkle noticed a dark blue shadowy-goopy like creature near Paula. It had red eyes, and seemed to be forming off of Paula.

Perrywinkle walked up to Paula, and finally spoke up, "Of all the people I have met on my journey, you are truly the most pitiful."

"...What does it matter…? He will burn us all, and nothing will be left of this place…"

"You do not understand Paula. It wasn't yo- ...our father that night. Surely after your conscious memories you know it's Jeffory?"

"...I've hated him for years...I never let myself feel any pity, or sadness, or even happiness. Just anger. I turned into a monster...I turned into my own father…!"

"But you are not. There is still a chance sister, wake up. Wake up and realize what is fantasy and what is reality!"

"..."

Perrywinkle suddenly felt the area shake, and finally, the cracks burst. Whiteness covered the black, and the creature of shadow was wiped out.

Paula stood up, but Perrywinkle noticed she looked so much younger. Almost like a toddler. Her fur was cleaner, and her eyes glittered brightly with happiness.

Eventually, Perrywinkle found herself back in the torn up bedroom, Paula still lying unconscious on the floor. The girl began to stir.

"Nn...wha…?" Paula murmured.

Perrywinkle's eyes reverted back to normal, and she appeared to be dizzy. She fell over, only to have Jeff catch her.

Paula sat up, and looked up at her visitors, "Grandpa…? And…"

Paula froze, as a deer would in headlights, "P...Papi…?"

Jeff suddenly dropped Perrywinkle as he held his head again, "Fuck…! What the hell is he…?!"

Shadow grabbed Perrywinkle before she hit the floor, and smacked Jeff, "Knock it off moron!"

"Well ex-cuse me if he's fighting my hold!" Jeff snapped.

Jeff, still rubbing his head, then helped Paula up. She listened patiently as they explained the whole situation to her, and by the end of it, she was in panic.

"This is terrible! I must issue an order this instant! How could I have been so blind?!"

"Do not blame yourself sister. And I wouldn't worry too much. We've got a friend handling Andy face-to-face."

"Jeffory, can my father hear me?"

"Yes. But it wouldn't be wise to speak to him right now. Like I said, he's really unstable."

"Oh...okay…"

"It's alright Paula. I'm sure once this all blows over, he'll come around."

"For now, lets see how Margo is holding up," Perry said.

Jeff nodded and held his head as another headache came around, only this time causing his nose to bleed a bit.

"I swear once he stops fighting I'm gonna punch him." Jeff growled under his breath, but shook his head and wiped away the blood, "Perry I'm gonna need Mr. Stabby."

"Why do you need the knife?"

"Either that or this body dies in battle, I have no clue how to defend myself without a weapon."

"... Fine, but don't run off understand?" Perry said.

"Yeah yeah just hand him over." Jeff held out his hand and Perrywinkle placed the knife she had took from him into his hand.

"Good, now let's go," Jeff said.

"Who made you leader?" Shadow growled.

One of Jeff's eyes turned blue and he suddenly sounded halfway like Shadic, "Says the man that can shove a foot up your ass if you piss him off. Now LETS GO." His eyes turned to red again.

There was nothing but the sound of screaming, and crashing. The crashing from the constant banging and shoving and blows to each other that Margo and Andy had been giving out the whole time.

Margo finally seemed to have enough, and screeched. She slammed Andy down to the ground, and leaped backwards.

"When will you learn?"

"SHUT UP," she hissed, her voice suddenly sounding much different. Older even.

Andy's ears perked up, and his eyes widened at the all-too-familiar voice.

However, her next words were hissed halfway between both the older voice and her own, "I HATE YOU. YOU HAVE CURSED ME WITH THESE WINGS. YOU HAVE TORTURED ME IN MY DREAMS. YOU HAVE HURT MY FRIENDS."

Andy backed away as she began walking towards him, "YOU LIED TO ME. YOU LIED TO MY HUSBAND AND MY CHILDREN. WHERE WERE YOU ANDY? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS MOURNING YOU? WHEN I WAS TRYING FRUITLESSLY TO CONVINCE MY HUSBAND I WOULD NOT DIE?!"

"I...I…" Andy whimpered.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO SPEAK ANY FURTHER! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!" she screamed, tears in her eyes.

Andy seemed very afraid of Margo, but his fear suddenly turned into pain as he felt as if his body was being ripped to shreds.

He let out a scream of pure agony and held his head as he fell to his knees. Margo was startled with confusion for a moment till she saw a black form tearing itself away from Andy's body.

"AGGHHHH!" Andy screamed, "STOP IT! IT HURTS!"

Finally the black form tore away from Andy with an audible ripping sound before quickly slithering away before anyone could react.

Andy's hands fell to the ground and he held himself up for the moment, shaking in fear and pain, seeming unable to understand what was happening.

Suddenly he started to cough and hack, and finally vomited out a black liquid before falling to his side and passing out.

He awoke in a torn up bed. He held his head, which was aching horribly, and turned to see Paula. At first, having just woken up, he said, "Oh hey Paula."

Then the reality of his situation sunk in, and he found himself fully awake. He swung his head around, colliding with Paula's.

They both groaned in pain and held their heads. After a while they settled, and Andy looked up again.

Paula smiled nervously, "H-Hey Uncle."

"Paula...you're...you're taller...and you have…"

"Y-Yeah um...I have a lot to explain to you. You've...been gone for about...umm...thirteen years?"

Andy's eye twitched, "...Th-That...I just saw you guys yesterday that can't...but you're so much older…!"

Suddenly, Andy's ears flicked up, and he slowly turned to look at her, "Where's Margo…?"

Paula's nervous smile, turned into a frown, and she looked away. Tears formed in her eyes, and she finally spoke, "M-Mom is...she…"

Andy's face became filled with fear, "...N-No that...that can't be right…!"

"B-By the lake uncle…! She's by the lake…!" Paula said between sobs.

Though he could see Paula was not joking, he got up, and rushed out the door. He made his way into the forest, and to the lake as Paula had said.

Her words were true, a gravestone lay close to the edge of the water. Margo's named was engraved in it, as well as a few other words.

"No… No that can't be right…" Andy whispered as his hand covered his mouth and tears fell down his face, "Margo... No..."

Andy seemed to break down, and he slumped over. He sat there for what seemed like hours, before a sound caused his ears to shoot up in instinct.

A squeak was heard, and he turned around, "Wh-Who's there…?!"

A familiar set of eyes peeked from behind a tree, and Andy couldn't help but to smile, "M-Margo?!"

"...No...I'm not her…" the girl whimpered.

His smile fell again, "Th-Then who...Who are you?"

"You created me. Don't you remember?"

"No...I don't…"

"So...you...don't remember anything that happened either…?"

"I'm not sure. What are you talking about exactly?"

"Try and think back to about thirteen years ago."

Andy thought, and thought, then finally it came to him, "That demon…! He trapped me…! Aw, dammit I can't believe I fell for his lies…!"

Margo just waited and stared as he continued to talk to himself. Eventually he stopped, and turned his gaze to her, "You...I injected...no Riku injected his DNA into you and made you from a blood sample."

"Yes. And I...freed...you."

"...Thank you so much for freeing me… I shouldn't have fallen for his lies..."

"It's…It's no problem," She said.

Andy stayed quiet for a long time before he smiled softly, "Would you like to sit with me...?" He asked.

"Y...You're not afraid of me..?"

"No. I've seen a lot of things in my life...I won't be scared of a black blood, besides you seem sweet."

Margo stayed still for a moment before she went over to Andy and sat down next to him. She felt awkward to say the least, but he seemed alright.

"How long was I out once you freed me?" Andy asked.

"About three days. It seemed like you hadn't eaten well for a long time so we spoon fed you soup while you were out of it."

"Ah. I see," Andy said, but then he added, "As long as I didn't talk in my sleep."

"You said funny things."

"Shit. What did I say?" Andy's voice turned into a bit higher tone, he was a bit embarrassed.

"You said something about rainbows and unicorns the first day, the second day you were talking about… Um.. Being tied up and bleeding, I'm not sure about that, and yesterday you were just naming off foods."

"Oh. Okay." Andy could feel his ears burning from embarrassment, but he choose not to explain the bleeding and tied up thing.

They stayed quiet for a long time, and Margo noticed that Andy kept glancing at her wings.

"Why are you looking at them?" She asked.

"I-I don't mean to be rude! I swear! I just…May I feel your wings really fast? I've never seen anyone with wings. Even Tailsica keeps hers hidden pretty well so you can't tell!"

"Oh. Sure?" Margo opened up one of her wings and Andy gently grabbed it before slowly examining the wings.

"These are strange, it makes me wonder if your bones are lightweight so you can fly around, but that might also make it to where you can easily break your bones as well,"

Andy was more curious of Margo's wings that he didn't realize Margo was blushing furiously while he poked and prodded at her wings.

Her other wing even opened up, and she stopped paying attention to his words. She seemed lost in herself.

Eventually Andy noticed, and stopped touching her wings. They immediately closed, and she shuddered, "Mm…! I hate these stupid things…!"

"Um...are you okay…?"

"I don't...know...I feel weird…!" she admitted, still blushing.

Andy blushed, realising why she was acting like this, "O-Oh. Um...I won't do that then."

"It's okay. It's never happened before. Anyways, I'd like to apologise for what I said to you."

"Oh...Th-That's okay...you were pretty mad, and rightfully so."

"I just wanted to ask...if maybe...to make it up to you, we could...maybe be friends?" she said, a shy smile on her face.

Andy's ears perked up a bit and he stayed quiet for a moment before smiling and giving Margo a tight hug, and he sounded full on gay when he spoke, "Hon, you got yourself a deal!"


	5. Destiny

It was three weeks after Riku had left Andy's body, Andy was still adjusting to life. Things had changed while he was gone and he even had to get used to Shadic's 'second personality'.

He had also become close friends with Margo during that time, constantly being seen with her teaching him how to work the new technology.

Shadic was also getting used to the fact of his body having the spirit of a legless child inside of him, so he freaked out and stayed in a ball on the floor for a few days once he got full control of his body once again.

"Hey Margo," Andy came up to Margo with a phone in his hand, "Can you help me figure out how to work this thing? Again..?"

"Sure, so long as you don't try to smash it against a table again." Margo smiled.

"No promises. These things are making me mad." He sighed but handed his phone to Margo so she could teach him what to do.

Before Margo got half way through the first sentence, Andy was suddenly tackled down by two bodies, one blue, one purple, Paula and Perrywinkle.

"Uncllllee!" They said in unison.

"AGH! I DIDN'T STEAL YOUR MAKEUP!" Andy yelped.

"Who said anything about makeup? You always steal that, anyways you promised to play outside with us today!" Paula said.

"You steal makeup?" Margo giggled.

"You can't help that I'm different." Andy pouted, but he sighed and smiled at the girls holding him down, "Fine. I'll be outside in a minute, go wait there."

"Yaaaaaay!" The twins cheered and ran off, Andy slowly got up and sighed before looking to Margo and chuckling.

"Let's continue the lesson soon, I may as well do as they say or they cover my face with makeup while I sleep."

"Alright. Have fun Andy!" Margo chuckled.

Margo left the house herself, and flew off. She landed at a small house just by a restaurant in the village, and knocked.

The door cracked open, but she saw no one. She looked inside, then down when she felt a tug on her pants. She saw a small child.

He had gray fur, and red highlights. He was a wolf, and stared up with such innocence, Margo couldn't help but say, "Awww!"

"Hello. You look like my sister. But my sister's gone."

"Oh, well, in a way I sort of am. But not quite. Is your daddy home?"

"Yeah, he's inside. Come on in!"

She walked in, taking note of a woman that looked much like her. The woman looked up, "Oh. Hello. You must be that girl that helped stop that scuffle a few weeks back."

"I am. I'm here for Shadow."

"Oh, he's in his room. Just up those stairs, first door on the left."

Margo went where she was directed, and found Shadow on his bed, reading a book. She noticed it was called "Fifty Shades Of Blood."

"Umm...excuse me…?"

Shadow suddenly dropped his book, and jumped. He pulled a blanket over him and put a pillow on top, "HELLO, WHO'S THERE?"

"Oh! I'm sorry…! I-I'll just go if you're too busy…!"

"NOPE, I'M FINE," he said, blushing furiously.

"I-I just wanted to know...if I could live here for a while…?"

Shadow's blush subsided, and his ears perked up in curiosity, "You could...but I'd like to know why at least."

"I wanna learn more about myself. I thought maybe I could start with some family?"

"...I'll ask my wife about it."

"Oh you will? Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Margo exclaimed happily and gave Shadow a hug before leaving.

Shadow waited a moment before getting back to his book.

Eventually Tailsica came in, "So what did she need Shadow?" She questioned.

"She wants to live here, she wants to know who she is so she wants to start with family."

Tailsica smiled and went over to Shadow before sitting next to him on the bed and moving his book away.

"I think it's a good idea." Tailsica smiled.

"Alright... If you say so, I'll call tomorrow." Shadow said.

Tailsica chuckled and kissed his head, "Now hurry up and deal with that lump in the blanket. I'm gonna take Talon out for ice cream."

Shadow blushed furiously, "Why must you make me feel ashamed of it?"

Tailsica giggled, and left. Eventually Margo moved in as she had asked, and grew close to Shadow. However, every night she would sneak out.

Talon noticed, and asked her, but she said she was working on something secret. He promised to keep his lips sealed if he could help, and they both continued work from there.

With the extra hands, she finally finished. But still insisted that Talon keep his mouth shut. The day after she gathered Andy and dragged him to the forest.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Andy asked, stumbling over the root of a tree but keeping upright.

"Nope!"

"C'mon Margo! I can't keep 'em shut forever!"

"Too bad. We're not there yet."

Andy huffed, but kept his eyes shut. Eventually Margo stopped him, "Are we there?"

"Yup!"

"Can I open them now?"

"Just a second...now!"

Finally Andy opened his eyes, and flinched due to the sudden light. Once his eyes adjusted, his jaw dropped. It was a house, and it was built just outside the lake.

"Surprise! I heard about how your old house got burned down, so I made you a new one! I've been studying carpentry and Talon even helped me."

"...Margo...This is…This…" Andy seemed lost for words for the moment.

"Do you like it?" Margo seemed a bit worried for a moment, not getting the okay from Andy just yet.

Andy slowly walked up to the house and got on the porch, he was still awe-struck, but he slowly entered the house. Margo followed as he slowly walked through the house, his face seeming to show no reaction for the time being.

Eventually they reached the kitchen for the last place.

"A-Andy...?" Margo asked.

"You…Did this with only one other person to help?" Andy asked.

"Y...Yes...That is true. D-Do you like it?"

"No...I don't like it..." Andy said.

"W-What?" Margo yelped.

Andy turned to Margo, walked up to her and smiled, tears in his eyes, "I love it. It looks just like my old home." He said before hugging Margo tightly.

"R-Really?" Margo asked.

"Really and truly." Andy chuckled.

He let Margo go and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Thank you very much Margo. I will move in right away." He smiled.

Margo's face turned red with embarrassment and she waved her hands in front of her, "I-It wasn't a problem Andy! I j-just wanted you to have a home!"

Her ears suddenly flicked up, "Oh! And…" She reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a familiar looking scarf. It was burnt in some places, but mostly intact.

"I looked around what was left of your old house myself. I found this, thought you might want it," she said nervously, as she held out the scarf to him.

Shakily, Andy took it, "It...it's still intact. I can't believe it. I thought for sure it would've been burned up."

Margo looked down, and shifted one of her feet, "Oh…? Well I'm glad I could recover it then." She blushed shyly, and they giggled.

They became closer as the days went by, and as much as Margo hated to admit, she found him rather cute. Eventually she began hanging out with him more often.

It was one night by the lake she would take a rather risky move. She and Andy were just watching the stars, giggling and talking.

"...and then...it turns out...it was twins! He passed out the second he found out!" Andy told her.

Margo giggled, "Oh my gosh, that's so funny! Shadic is so silly! Hmm…"

"Whatcha thinkin'?" Andy asked.

"Nothin', just...you ever thought about having kids?"

"Not really. Never saw myself with anyone else after...you know."

"..." Margo blushed, she seemed to be thinking rather hard.

Andy noticed her silence, "Margo? You okay?"

No answer. He turned, and suddenly he found himself sharing a kiss with her. He blushed furiously, as did Margo.

She pulled away, but Andy was still surprised, "M-Margo...you…"

"Oohhh…!" she turned away, embarrassed, "You didn't like it…!"

"N-No! I just...Didn't expect it!" he tried to assure her.

"I knew that was a bad idea…! I'm sorry…!"

Andy grabbed one of Margo's shoulders and made her turn to him. He put a hand under her chin and made him look at his face.

"Margo…It's okay….You didn't do anything wrong."

"Really…?"

"Yes, I already told you, you just surprised me. You aren't exactly striking as the type to take chances."

"I don't know...I didn't just do it out of pity...I just...feel something…"

"Like what?"

"I feel really funny, like warm and fuzzy."

"Like you can't speak?"

"Almost."

"...I feel that too."

"Huh?"

"I've always felt it, but I didn't wanna pressure you or anything."

Margo smiled, "Oh Andy, you're just too sweet!"

"Heh...Y-Yeah…" Andy stuttered.

Margo giggled and gave Andy a kiss on his cheek, he blushed and smiled. She moved in after a few months, and as expected, married him.

However, this left Shadow, Talon, and Tailsica by themselves again, which proved to be a time of sadness for the three.

Margo had more or less made an impact on them, and it affected Tailsica the most. She spent more time in her study room and less time with her husband and son.

Eventually, one night, she grabbed her jacket, and was making for the door when she felt an arm grab her.

She turned, and saw Shadow, "Where are you going? It's late."

Tailsica's ears flattened, and she looked down, "I'm...going to the Blackmist Forest…"

"The hell you are!" Shadow shouted, seeming more concerned than angry.

"No….I-I'm going to kill Enu."

Shadow's eyes widened, "Tailsica, have you lost your mind?! He can't die!"

"Everything has an end. It's high time his came!"

"Tailsica, do you hear yourself?!"

"Shadow, please. I need to do this."

"Why?!"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO LET HIM WALK AROUND ALIVE ANY LONGER WHILE INNOCENT PEOPLE LIKE MARGONA CONTINUE TO LIVE!"

Shadow's ears pressed against his ears, "...T-Tailsica…"

"...I've lost everything...my parents...my brother's trust...my own children…! I'm...not going to let him continue his tyranny any longer…!" she was sobbing now, seeming unprepared for Shadow even confronting her.

Shadow sighed, and hugged her tightly, "...F-Fine...do what you must...but promise me you'll make it back home...!"

Tailsica sniffled, "I-I...I promise...I love you…"

"I love you too...Terrisa."

They shared one last kiss, and Tailsica turned and left, tears in her eyes. Shadow sighed, knowing she may not be able to keep that promise.

Enu was lying around, seeming bored. Not many vampires were wandering in since the castle guard had restricted anyone from coming in.

Surprisingly however, his ears flicked up at the sound of footsteps. He turned, and looked down, being perched on a tree branch.

He saw a very familiar, angered fox on the ground below, despite the night shrouding the area in complete darkness. He smirked, and chuckled, "So, one of the trolls finally comes from the dark to fight!"

"I will not have you walking on this Earth any longer Enu." Tailsica growled.

"Oh?" Enu sat up and swung his legs over the branch and swung them, "And why is that?"

"You ruined...Everything..." Tailsica growled, "I know you're the one who sent out the Raccats. I know you're the one who killed Emily. I will end you."

"Like hell you will." Enu sneered before jumping down from the tree and standing in front of Tailsica, " Even if you are right. But how many times must I tell you? Your stupid child managed to stay out of my grasp. I've done nothing to her. And I won't die easily you know."

"Then put up a damned fight!" Tailsica swung her fist but Enu dodged out of the way and grabbed her arm.

He gave her arm a hard yank and pulled Tailsica close to him, putting his free hand on her side, "Aww...Such a cute little blow for a troll." He sneered.

Tailsica growled and swung her other hand, this time connecting her fist to Enu's face and knocking him away from her.

Unknown to either, they were being watched. Asurath was sitting in his home, watching the whole event unfold as his daughter, Samara, manifested the images in a crystal orb.

Shadow however, watched through his own mind. He refused to give any information to his son.

It seemed anyone that was left of those she loved were trapped in time watching her.

The fight continued on regardless, but things took a dark turn once Enu spoke up again, "Humph. Just like your father, stupid but strong. And soon you'll be just as dead."

"What would you know about my father you sick bastard?!" Tailsica snapped.

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised. Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time your father lived in a village full of idiots. And his father sat at the top. He had dark powers that I was fond of. And we caused chaos together," he began.

"Then suddenly one day he left to go get married and have two ugly little trolls. You want to know why you weren't allowed to see that little Prince Of Darkness section of your stupid book?"

"...My...My father was….the Prince Of Darkness…?!"

"That's right little troll, very good. I see you're paying attention. Your whole life has been a lie."

"LIES!" Tailsica suddenly screamed as she lunged at Enu.

Enu jumped back far enough away to where Tailsica landed on her face. He sneered and put his foot on her head, making her face go deeper into the dirt.

"What's the matter little troll? Afraid your good ol' 'uncle' Enu telling lies?" He cooed.

This brought Tailsica to the end of her temper. She grabbed Enu's leg and unbalanced him. He fell with a hard thud.

"OOF! What the-" Enu didn't finish his sentence as a gun was pointed straight between his eyes. He looked and he saw Tailsica glaring at him with the most hate he had ever seen coming out of one person.

"You don't know who you are dealing with Enu..." Tailsica snarled, her body seeming to change as her fur turned darker and horns came out of her head.

A sudden giggling emerged from the darkness, "Hee-hee~! Neither do you little girl!"

Without warning, a figure lunged down and tackled Tailsica to the ground. She smirked, and had a ring-blade wrapped around her, "Hee-hee~! Hello, 'Terrisa.' Remember me?"

Tailsica curled, and kicked the girl off, turning and looking up, ready to defend herself. The girl sat up and wiped blood from her nose, "Hmph. Still like to play rough I see."

"I will kill the both of you, stupid bitch."

"You don't even know who you are, you never did!"

"You say that like you know me," Tailsica growled.

"I do, and the fact that you don't know that tells me you've learned nothing from our last encounter," the girl giggled.

Tailsica raised an eyebrow, "What encounter stupid bitch? I never met you."

"Think really hard about it while you can then. Cause it'll be the last time too!" With that, the girl began attacking Tailsica, seeming to have an advantage over her, as she appeared to be able to predict every move she made.

"How...are you...doing that…?!" Tailsica huffed.

"I told you Terrisa, you're so predictable."

Tailsica growled, "STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

She lunged forward, but was blasted from the side by none other than Enu. He growled, "I believe our little game of tag is over."

He walked over, and pinned her down, and she stared in fear as he made a blade from energy in one hand.

The girl giggled, "Goodnight, Terrisa! But don't be sad, you're brother's next!"

"NO-" but her words were cut off by her own screams once Enu stabbed her with the blade. He drew back, and swung the blade down once more, and then one final time.

He smirked, and laughed like a maniac, "How does it feel stupid bitch? To be on the other end of your games? I know what you do when you think no one's watching. I know who you are, 'Darkest Hour.'"

"Even if our reign didn't end, yours did. Have fun dying!" the girl giggled, and they disappeared into thin air.

Tears flowed down Asurath's face as he witnessed the whole ordeal, "S-Sister…! N-No…! No…!" Samara looked away in disgust, not speaking.

Shadow however, took it the worst. His ears flicked as he could hear her heartbeat deteriorating. He disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Talon alone in confusion.

Tailsica didn't even try to get up, she just layed there. However, a flash of light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"Shadow…? Is that...y-you…?" she said through sobs of pain.

Shadow ran up, "Tailsica! Oh my god…! I-It's gonna be okay! I promise!"

"Shadow...don't...just let me go…"

"No! You'll be okay!"

"St-Stop...lying...y-you know...th-that's not true…!"

"Dammit Tailsica, I can't lose you too!"

A bloody, shaky hand grabbed his own, and she turned her gaze to meet his own, "Shadow...I...I love you…"

"I love you too Tailsica...I love you so much…!"

"P-Promise me you won't be sad..." She murmured.

"Tailsica…" Shadow whimpered, tears falling down his face, but he finally accepted the truth, his love was going to die in his arms.

"I-If you are going to die…P-Please...Let me see those blue eyes of sapphire again…"

Tailsica smiled weakly, "You knew that these eyes were not for a permanent cause...I just liked them…But they changed me..."

"Please Tailsica…"

Shadow saw her eyes slowly turn from red to blue. He smiled weakly, "Just as beautiful as I remember."

Tailsica blushed, and smiled slightly, "Thanks…"

Soon her eyes glazed over altogether, and her breathing slowed to a stop. Shadow sobbed, "I love you Terrisa...I swear one day I'll avenge you…"

He glanced up, just barely able to see the full moon as the wind weakly blew through his quills and everyone had finally realised the truth. Tailsica was dead.

Talon tried desperately to get his father to cheer up, but to no avail. Nothing could lift his spirits it seemed. Eventually Talon gave up trying to help his father.

He found better luck in his school life, making friends rather quickly. One such friend went by the name "Punt." They hit it off quickly and hung out often.

Of course, they hung out at his house as well, seeing as Shadow seemed to have no problem with it so long as they stayed out of his bedroom.

Punt never really spoke, unlike his friend who was unbelievably vocal. He often swore even for his young age and was quick to pick a fight with another boy.

And of course, Punt always had to be the one to get him out of such ordeals. He noticed that Talon's father would be just sitting around drinking a lot.

He would often repeat phrases like, "Damn counsellors don't know what they're talkin' about," or "freakin' taxes."

It seemed they were dead broke, but just barely manage to scrape by. Tailsica had brought in most of the dough with her job, but now that she was gone there was no more money coming in.

Talon himself would always complain about how his counsellors would say he was only expressing himself the way he did because of his dad.

He hated when people talked negatively about his father, and usually the fights he got in were over this precise subject.

He became noticeably violent and erratic as well, and even got piercings. When Punt tried to console him, Talon insisted there was nothing wrong. And that would be the end of it.

But what tipped him off the most was that his father had left him with his uncle Asurath one day when he was younger. He never really returned either.

It seemed he had cut off contact with absolutely everyone, and this fact chipped away at Talon's mind slowly, but surely.

During this time, Shadic had taken the loss of Tailsica far worse than the others. She was his closest friend, and often brought him his panic medication to keep his nerves in control.

He had always liked Tailsica, she was always nice to him. But now that she was gone, he had no one to turn to other than Andy and his daughter, but neither of them could listen as well as her.

Shadic lost most of his appetite, only eating when Paula forced him to, or when Jeff took control of his body. Andy came over to stay a while with Margo to help cheer Shadic up.

One day Shadic walked in on Andy looking through his room for a game.

"Oh! Sorry Shadic, Paula said I could find Blood Bashers 5 in here. I haven't played it yet. But…"

"But what Andy?" Shadic didn't sound mad, just curious.

Andy moved the blanket off Shadic's bed and picked up a plush toy that looked like Andy.

"You.. Kept this… After all these years..?"

Shadic seemed startled for a minute before his ears flattened against his ears and he looked away with a blush on his cheeks.

"Y...Yeah…" He mumbled.

"It looks just like it did when I first gave it to you for your panic attacks… You've taken good care of it..." Andy said, but he wasn't looking at Shadic, but at the plush toy, his face showing that he was lost in memories.

"I threw it away the first day I had it," Shadic admitted, "But someone put it in my bed while I was sleeping... And... I haven't gotten rid of it since... It keeps my nightmares away..."

Andy stayed still for a minute, and his shoulders started to shake. Shadic was confused till he heard Andy sniffle.

"Andy?" Shadic asked, going up to Andy and turning him around.

Tears were flowing down Andy's face and a bit of snot coming out of his nose. He was hiccuping between quiet sobs.

"Andy?!" Shadic yelped, "D-Did I say something wrong? What did I do?!"

Andy suddenly hugged Shadic tightly and let out a sob into his chest. Shadic hugged him back tightly and sat down with Andy on his bed, gently petting his friends head until he calmed down.

"Andy… What did I do…? Did I do something wrong?" Shadic asked.

"N-No," Andy whimpered, but wiped his tears and tried to make his voice sound stronger, "No. Y-You did everything right this time."

"What did I do?"

"You kept something I made you. So you actually cared for that one simple thing." Andy wiped more tears away and wiped his nose as well before smiling at Shadic.

Shadic couldn't help it. He suddenly felt a wave of emotion crash through him and he hugged Andy tightly. Andy hugged back just as tightly.

"You know I couldn't get rid of something that my friend gave me." Shadic whispered.

"We're not friends, Shadic," Andy said, "You said so yourself so long ago, we are brothers. Not by blood, but by friendship."

Little did the men know that Margo was watching from the door, she smiled a bit at the two and walked downstairs to Paula.

"He's getting better Paula, the boys are upstairs and it seems Andy is making a breakthrough with Shadic. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"...He still thinks I hate him…"

"What? No he doesn't!"

"I overheard him arguing with Jeff. He's not convinced…"

"You'll have to prove it to him."

"How?!"

"Hmm...the trial! You don't want him to die right?! Plead for him!"

"...I-I could...I could plead him innocent by reason of insanity…! I-I'll do it! Anything for papi…!"

That weekend, the family had gone to court beside Shadic. And near the end of the trial, it seemed the jury was going to rule him guilty.

Paula, seeming distraught, suddenly stood up from her witness chair and shouted, "I plead the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity!"

The whole courtroom looked up and gasped, and Shadic himself seemed surprised. The judge however seemed content, "Do go on your majesty."

"As I said, that night he left, he carved a smile into his chest and was repeating strange phrases! That by itself proves enough to be mental disturbance!"

The whole courtroom sat in silence, and the jury began to talk amongst themselves once more. Finally, one woman from the front of the jury spoke up, "Your majesty makes a good point, we rule not guilty, however ask that he be admitted to a mental ward immediately."

Paula nodded, "If that is what must be done. Then so be it." The judge nodded as well, and banged his gavel. Leaving the courtroom, Paula looked back at her father, and gave him a smile before turning and leaving.

She waited outside the courtroom and Shadic came out a few moments later with his hands cuffed behind his back and a policeman on either side of him. He glanced to Paula and then turned to the police men.

"May I have a moment with her in private…?" He asked.

The officers nodded and uncuffed him. Shadic went to Paula and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Thank you my little Princess. Jeff and I owe you our lives." He smiled.

Paula smiled and gave him a hug, "Of course Papi," She said before whispering, "But let Jeff control you, he needs more help than you right now okay…?"

Shadic nodded and hugged Paula tightly before letting her go and going back to the officers, who cuffed his hands behind his back once more.

They led Shadic away and put him into a holding cell until a truck came to take him into a mental ward for the time being. During the trip there, his eyes slowly turned red and he smiled softly.

"Thanks Paula," Jeff whispered, "But I'm sorry your father has to serve my punishment with me."

Three weeks went by after Jeff got put into the mental ward. For three weeks he was bored to no end until Paula came to visit, with someone he least expected, Asurath.

They stayed in a tense quiet for a long time, before Asurath suddenly grabbed Jeff and started screaming at him.

"DAMN YOU SHADIC! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME EVEN IF THIS DEMON HAS CONTROL! IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT TAILSICA DIED! IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT FROM THE BEGINNING WHEN YOUR FATHER TOOK HER AWAY!"

Jeff's eyes turned blue as Asurath screamed at him, and Shadic tried his best to stop the man from screaming.

"Asurath, woah! Dude, calm down what the hell are you talking about?!"

Asurath bared his fangs at Shadic, "YOU PAID A MAN TO CHANGE THE DAMNED WILL OF MY PARENTS!"

"What?! What the hell are yo-" Then it dawned on Shadic.

It was many years ago when Shadic was still young, he was still healing from the scar on his side, it was only a week old, but his father gave him some money.

"Look, Shadic, I know you're still healing, but it's only a short walk from here, Randal and Biohazard can't know about this."

"What's it for?" Shadic had asked.

"Just look for a man named 'Ron' and say it's from me. That's all you need to know." Dark had said, his voice was calm and quiet at the time.

Shadic finally understood what the money was for and grabbed Asurath's wrists.

"Asurath! I swear! I-I didn't know what the money was for! I just did as my father told me to! I couldn't disobey him!"

"I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS SHADIC! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SEALED MY SISTER'S FATE!" Asurath snarled before he let go of Shadic and stormed away.

Shadic stayed still, shaking in fear at the rage he had seen in his friend's eyes. Then he looked to Paula.

"How did you not know…?" She asked calmly.

"I…I thought it was something h-he bought, t-that needed to b-be delivered. A-And that was payment…!"

"... I see… I understand. You were still young back then. You didn't know it would seal grandmother's fate. Anyways, I wish to speak to Jeff right now."

Shadic's eyes turned red as he allowed Jeff to take control of his body.

"Yeah?" Jeff asked.

"Has your lust for murder left you yet?"

"Not exactly, I still want to do it, but seeing as Mr. Stabby was burned and melted, I have no power to kill."

"No power?"

"Well, with the knife I stole the energy of people when I murdered them. Its kinda...A trait I stole from Riku when he ripped my legs off. Anyways, without the knife, I don't gain or lose any power. Unless I use my powers." Jeff explained.

"So that's why you were in pain when we melted the knife."

"Still hurts by the way. Not as bad, but still hurts," Jeff said, but suddenly changed the subject, "Can you get me a new hoodie?"

"Hoodie? What?" Paula asked.

"My- Shadic's old one is covered in blood, I managed to hide it from him, but I need one exactly like his so it seems as if I never wore it while I killed,"

"... I can't get a copy of it," Paula said, her voice suddenly sad.

"Why?" Jeff asked, but he looked at Paula and worry sounded in his voice.

"Because my grandmother made that hoodie for my father's three thousandth birthday," Paula murmured.

"O-Oh," Jeff said, sadness in his voice, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

"It's okay Jeffory…" Paula sighed, "But...I mostly wanted to talk to you so I could...apologise."

Jeff's ears flicked up, "Apologise? You? For what? You've done nothing wrong and you know that."

"...If I had followed you after you ran off...none of this would've even happened…!"

"...I hated them. They got my brother put away for no reason, and then they went after you…! I wanted to kill them Paula, I don't know why you couldn't understand then and I still don't know why you can't understand now!"

"Is that the real reason...you only picked off people that wronged my father…?"

"...Y-Yes...yes it is…"

"I didn't agree with you...because it's barbaric. I know you had the best intentions at heart, but this is not the way to handle it. It's why you're here."

"No. That's not the only reason."

"You're right. You're also here because I needed to save my father from his death sentence...something I wrote myself…! To think that I did that without even hesitating for a second…!"

"Paula! He already forgives you, so forgive yourself."

"...Thanks Jeffory. You're too kind. And sorry about the sudden physical rupture. I had to attend to pressing matters."

"...It must be hard being royalty huh?"

"Yeah...it is…"

"So...how's your boyfriend?"

Paula's face flushed up a deep red and she scowled, "JEFFORY! THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

Jeff just snickered, "Oh I can hear that old man's screams in my head now!"

"UGH! You are SO immature you know that?!"

"I know~!" Jeff cooed with a wink. Paula crossed her arms in defiance and turned her head away from Jeff.

"Awww come on Paula! I was just joking around." Jeff chuckled.

"You're still immature!" she growled under her breath.

"Yup!" Jeff chuckled and leaned against a wall, seeming happy he had hit some nerves on Paula.

"Just don't make them taser you. I have some paperwork to fill out since my dad is stuck here with you."

"No promises!" Jeff stated.

Years seemed to pass quickly, and eventually Shadic was cleared from the mental ward. However, Jeff wasn't shy about letting everybody know he wasn't happy about having to share a body with Shadic.

Shadic was equally the same about Jeff since he didn't feel right about having a teenage spirit inside of him.

"Paula?" Jeff spoke up one day.

"Yeah?"

"When will I get my own body? I hate having this adult body who already has his own soul and life, he doesn't deserve to be shunned by the sins I did." Jeff said.

"Jeff," Paula sighed, "We don't have anything you can move into to make your own. And it's really risky to pull you out of my father, your souls have been merged together to cope with the fact that you are living inside of him."

"Paula!" Jeff suddenly yelled, and Paula jumped a bit at the sudden change, "I used your father to murder! Torture! Anything for my own sick pleasure, and because of that, everyone in this kingdom hates him! Not me!"

"Jeff what are you-"

"TAKE ME OUT OF THIS BODY DAMN IT! AND PUT THE DEATH CHARGE ON ME! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO TEAR ME OUT OF THIS BODY AND IT KILLS ME, AT LEAST THEY WILL KNOW WHO THE REAL KILLER IS!"

Paula's eyes widened and she seemed in pure shock at the statement. Jeff suddenly grunted and left the room, seeming in a pure rage, but once he was in Shadic's room, he broke down.

He lay down on Shadic's bed and cried into a pillow, letting out all the feelings he had kept hidden from everyone but Shadic for so long.

Jeff, what's the matter? Shadic's words whispered in his mind.

You know damn well what's wrong, I hate what I did, yet everyone hates you because of it! Jeff thought.

Shadic stayed quiet for a long time before he finally whispered again, I will allow you to live in my body.

"What?" Jeff spoke aloud and sat up, holding his head, "Shadic, you can't- I-I used your body to-"

I don't care about that Jeff. Until we find you your own body or a way to get you separated from me safely, I will allow you to use my body in any way you please.

"Shadic, no, you can't let me do that. Y-You need your own life, to be yourse-"

Jeff's eyes suddenly turned blue as Shadic took control.

"Damn it Jeff! Listen to me! I will allow you to live with me in my body until you and I can be safely separated! Do you understand me?!"

Jeff stayed quiet inside Shadic's body for a long time, but eventually Shadic shed a single tear that wasn't his own. Shadic knew that Jeff had accepted it.

"Good. I will do everything in my power to find a way, alright?"

Alright… Jeff whispered inside Shadic's mind.

Shadic wiped away the tears that had come from Jeff and lay down on his bed, exhausted from letting Jeff have all control for the day, and he slipped to sleep.

Paula, however, shocked by Jeff's sudden outburst, she consulted Asurath once more. Eventually she convinced his daughter to lend a hand.

His daughter was a quiet child, but Asurath knew what she liked to do. He didn't directly tell her she couldn't do so, since he thought she should at least be allowed to be herself.

She was involved deeply in black magic, and even kept a little stuffed doll beside her. It was the only thing she would talk to.

As she first set foot in the castle, her long black hair just barely swept along the red carpet. She followed at a slow pace, and was silent.

Finally, they made it to Shadic's study room. He looked up, surprised to see Samara. "Um...h-hey Sam. H-How are ya?"

The child said nothing, and instead grabbed his elbow, before pinching it. Shadic passed out, and she turned to Paula, "...Get me a body…"

Paula cringed, and nodded. That night, Andy, Margo, Asurath, Samara, Perrywinkle, and Paula were all gathered around a table.

Samara was preparing her spirit board close to Shadic's unconscious body.

"Are you sure this'll work Sammy?" Asurath asked.

"Don't call me that...And unless you idiots know anything about soul transferring, I suggest you shut it."

Asurath didn't say anything more, and Paula put another body beside Shadic's. She nearly gagged at the smell. Perrywinkle giggled.

"Everybody is here because I need to trap down a piece of Shadic's soul. I'll be honest, this process isn't going to be painless for either of them."

"Trap down?" Margo asked.

"Souls are fast and mischievous little fuckers. I'm going to literally rip them apart."

"And what if this fails?" Andy asked.

"...They both die."

The room fell silent, and Samara finally spoke after a few minutes, "So don't fuck around. This is a very tedious and difficult process. Both Jeff and Shadic's souls are going to try and escape. Everyone, grab one of them if they come near you."

"O-Okay…!" Margo whimpered.

Samara then placed a crystal ball in a small circular hole in the board. It glowed, and she began chanting. Everyone seemed to shudder as the words made them feel uneasy.

Soon Shadic's chest began to glow, as did the ball, and a light blue orb rose from the glow. Samara raised her hands up, then cupped them into fists. As she spread her arms out, it seemed the blue orb stretched with them.

The orb snapped into two, but one of them turned a dark blood red. The two orbs seemed to shape into tiny versions of both Shadic and Jeff.

They smirked, and began flying around rapidly, blowing raspberries at the others when they futilely began attempting to catch them.

Eventually, Paula caught Jeffory's soul, and then Andy got hold of Shadic's. Andy gently pushed the soul back into Shadic's chest, and the glow disappeared.

Samara then took Jeff's soul from Paula and pushed it into the lifeless body beside Shadic. Then she stopped chanting, and everyone stayed still.

Slowly, Shadic began to stir, but everyone jumped when the other body rose into a sitting position. A voice came forth from it's mouth, "Oogh…! The fuck was that…?!"

Shadic's ears flicked upward, he recognized the voice, but he knew he was in full control of his own mind at this moment. He turned, and saw what looked to be just another villager in a dirtied brown cloak beside him.

"Um...Jeff?"

The villager glanced over, bits of fur changing from grey to black, "...How...the fuck...am I seeing you right now…?"

"I… I don't… WHAT?" Was all Shadic could get out.

"I know I'm not looking into a reflection..."

"SHADIC!" Andy suddenly cried out and hugged Shadic very tightly, "I'm glad you're yourself again!"

"Myself? Wha..." It finally dawned on Shadic what had happened.

"Jeff… We… Got separated… How..?"

"You have me to thank for that," Samara said.

Both Shadic and Jeff turned to Samara. They both stayed still for a long moment before suddenly in front of her and giving her tight hugs.

"Thank you so much for giving me my own body!" Jeff said as his new body slowly changed to where it looked like a teenage black cat.

"GET...OFF...ME..." Samara growled.

Both the guys let go of Samara and they were both grinning. Jeff glanced to Shadic and smiled.

"Now you don't have to deal with what I did." He said sheepishly.

"I will still have blood stains in my fur for a while, but, honestly, I don't care Jeff." Shadic smiled and shook his head a bit, "You were just doing it on impulse."

Paula couldn't help but to smile, seeing that her father was always so forgiving, she forgave Jeff for what he had done when he was pretending to be her father.

Andy smiled, happy that Shadic was normal once again without the worry of Jeff taking control. Asurath was only slightly glad that at least Shadic didn't have to die of Jeff's crimes.

Margo giggled and hugged Andy, seeing her husband happy made her happy.

Shadic's ears then perked up and he suddenly seemed to realize something.

"Jeff. You don't have a place to live now do you?"

"Huh?" Paula and Jeff both said in unison, both surprised at Shadic's statement.

Shadic smiled and placed one hand behind his back and held out his other hand while also bowing a bit.

"Jeffory The Cat. As King, and with the permission of my daughter, Princess Paula, I ask that you live with me and my daughter till you can get on your feet properly. And that the crimes you committed using my body be no longer to be of any subject matter, and you shall have a clean slate."

Jeff seemed very surprised, but he saw that Shadic was indeed telling the truth about what he wanted.

"I... I… Um…" Jeff was hesitating, and he could see everyone lean in to hear his answer.

Finally Jeff made his choice. He took Shadic's hand.

"If Paula agrees, then I shall agree to your offer." He said.

Shadic straightened up and shook Jeff's hand before looking at Paula.

"I said with your permission Princess," Shadic said, "This deal is not sealed until you say so."

"Are you kidding? Of course he can stay! Besides, I think you'll find someone will be waiting for you outside."

Everyone glanced at each other in confusion. Jeff promptly opened the door, only to see another cat, only with brown fur.

They both looked at each other for a long time, "...Lu?"

The other cat smirked, "Hey goof-head. 'Bout time you turned up."

Paula spoke up, "After the trial, I figured that it was time someone fessed up for him. Those boys had him put away under false circumstances, and have been punished accordingly."

"How?"

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary," she said with a smirk.

The two brothers embraced, having been apart for a long time. Paula smiled, "And of course, seeing as Lu doesn't have anywhere to go either, I thought it fitting we let him stay here too."

"Thanks Paula, you're amazing," Jeff said with a smile. However, it was genuine this time, and not the kind of smile you'd see a crazy person do.

Amy was...distraught to say the least. Her whole life had been nothing but tragedy. Her origins were unknown to any of her 'friends.'

Not even her children knew of it. It was no surprise when she turned up that questions were asked, but she never answered all of them.

In truth, she wasn't even from this dimension. But rather one that branched off of it. Her old life as a princess proved to be rather...stressful.

This of course created tensions between her and her mother. Being the middle born as their law stated, she was to have the throne.

But she didn't want it, she wanted a normal life. And one day, finally, it seemed she would be able to get it. An attack was launched on the weary kingdom one day.

However, like most of her subjects, she ran. She did not turn back, did not look for her siblings or her mother, she just ran.

She doesn't remember much about how she came to get here, only hitting her head as she tripped and rolled down a hill.

But her sorrow didn't end, even as she was granted this clean slate. Not many years after she had graduated school, she married and had children.

It was on the day of the attack issued out by the Raccats that she would lose bits of her life. Both her husband, and her best friend were killed.

She became distant from her children after that, and seemed to be losing her sanity quickly. She had three children, Sophitia, Wing, and Soarin'.

Sophitia and Wing would often argue, and eventually, Sophitia packed up her things and left. Wing however, stayed and decided to try and support his mother and little brother.

Soarin' was terminally ill, and he was getting better, but Amy's husband had been pulling in all of the money for his care. With Truth gone, Soarin's condition began to deteriorate once more.

With this in mind, Wing joined the royal reserves. However, his plan would quickly end in tragedy as during training he died by an accidental arrow in his head.

Later that year, Soarin' died having only gotten worse. Amy seemed to have no life left in her, and even considered killing herself a number of times.

But she remained up and about, taking up magic and becoming a witch. She decided she would forever punish herself for her past mistakes, by making herself far from her loved ones as long as possible.

She stared at her reflection in the lake, tears welling up in her eyes as she did so, "You're nothing...you're just a worthless idiot...you let your own subjects die…"

She began sobbings, "You just ran…! You fucking COWARD!"

She turned away, rippling her reflection as she weakly 'hit' the water. She sighed, "...I'm sorry...I'm sorry….!"

However, her self-pity session was cut short when she heard a twig snap in two. Her ears shot up and she turned, magic instinctively shooting from her hands.

She heard a grunt, and slowly inched towards where the sound came from. She heard growling and cursing in a tone that seemed familiar.

"Wh-Who's there?" she squeaked, trying to seem intimidating.

"Oww...That hurt worse than a hangover…" A deep voice sounded, "What the hell happened?"

"WHO'S THERE?!" Amy screamed.

The voice stayed quiet for a moment, then it growled, "King Nightshade 'Dark' The Wolf. I demand you let me go this instant, lest you be hurt worse than I plan on now."

"D-Dark…?" Amy whispered.

She slowly walked up to the voice, seeing Dark struggling against her magic.

"...You're...still alive…" she whispered. He looked up, "The fuck are you talking about you crazy bitch?"

"You don't...remember me…?" she said, seeming defeated.

"NO. I don't. I think I'd remember a filthy witch!"

"...I wasn't always a witch…" she admitted.

"Yeah. Sure. Now let me down, or I'll be forced to throw you in the dungeon where you belong."

She scowled, "You think you're the only one that misses her?!"

"...The fuck did you just say?!"

"She was my best friend Dark! She...she saved me…! She was the only one who really listened to me…!"

"...Amy…? Amy Verona T. Wolf?"

"Yes you stupid stupid wolf! You left me behind you...you…!" she shook, then suddenly Dark dropped down as she released her hold on him with her magic.

"...Go away...and don't come back…" she began walking away, but Dark reached a hand out futilely, "A-Amy I-"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, tears falling from her cheeks. She sniffled, "Just...go…!"

"Amy…" Dark said, he actually seemed worried, something he hadn't shown in a very long time.

"GO AWAY!" Amy screamed and blasted him backwards a few feet to get him away from her.

Dark grunted and stayed where he was for a moment, before he sighed and turned away.

"She's at the rosefields. That's where I buried her," Dark said before he walked away.

Amy sobbed, she felt helpless. That's when it hit her, "Of course…! How did I not think of this before…?! Surely there is a spell that I can...contact her…!"

She ran off. Dark returned back to his home and seemed distraught. No one in the castle addressed it directly, especially not Shadic.

However, David seemed persistent lately on getting Dark help. He constantly pushed his brother to see therapists and even began throwing away his beer when he was out.

Dark spent the whole day in his own bedroom, feeling confused and sad all at once. He gripped his chest, "Dammit…! This is driving me mad…!"

There was a knock that interrupted him, and David came in after there was no answer. "Leave me alone David…"

"Brother, this isn't healthy. I know you're thinking right now. What's going on?"

"I said go away."

"No. Not until you answer me."

"Go… Away…" Dark growled, his brother's persistent questions drawing thin on his temper.

"Brother, you need to tell me what's wrong! If you keep all your feelings inside and drown your anger in alcohol nothing will get better." David said.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!" Dark suddenly screamed, "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

David took a step back in slight fear but didn't leave.

"Not until you tell me!"

Dark finally lost it, he screamed at David and lunged at his brother. David let out a yell of fear as Dark managed to get him on the ground.

"DARK!" David yelped.

"I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT NOW YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOUR PUNISHMENT!" Dark screamed and raised a hand as his nails grew long and sharp.

"DARK STOP!" David yelled, but to no avail as Dark clawed his face.

David screamed in pain as his brother continued to claw at every part of his body that he could get to. He could do nothing to stop Dark as he clawed at his arms, legs, torso and face.

Eventually David started to fall unconscious from blood loss, and that was when a dark blue magic aura grabbed Dark and pinned him to the wall.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Dark screamed and struggled against the magic, too fueled with rage to realize who it belonged to.

A mare stood tall in the doorway, her coat dark as night. Her eyes glowed aurora green and her flank bore the mark of a crescent moon. Her mane flowing as the night sky. It was Luna. She shouted in rage, "ENOUGH!"

She rushed to David's side, "Oh my god, David!" She turned and growled at Dark, "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK YOUR OWN BROTHER?! DO YOU NOT REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!"

Dark finally snapped back to reality, and looked at David. He was bleeding from every last mark he had left on him. "D-David…?"

"YOU DID THIS TO YOUR OWN BROTHER NIGHTSHADE. I WON'T FORGET THIS," she snarled as she picked up David with her magic and left, her own magical hold on Dark subsiding.

He fells to his hands and knees, and began shaking, "...I...I almost killed him…! What have I done…?!"

Dark saw the blood on his hands and quickly ran to the closest restroom, he grabbed soap and turned the water of the sink on the highest temperature before starting to scrub off the blood.

He continued to scrub till his hands and forearms began to bleed from the force he was using before he stopped.

Eventually the door swung open, and Paula stood in the doorway, "What is all the ruck- OH MY GOD!"

Dark cringed, "I...um…!"

"Get out of there, you need to be treated right now! GUARDS!"

Dark tried to protest, but before he knew it he was being dragged away by a medic.

Dark was sent to the medical side of the castle where he was treated for his injuries. When the nurse asked what he did he just said that he used too hot of the water.

When he was released he quickly checked the medical area but saw no sign of his brother. Luna must have taken him to the actual hospital he thought.

Dark sighed and pressed his hands against his forehead in frustration, guilt over attacking David crashing over him far worse than anything he had ever felt before.

He leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down, and finally, Dark started to cry for the first time in years.

At the hospital, Luna was pacing back and forth in the waiting room, her hooves making clicking sounds with every hoofstep she took.

Finally a doctor came in and lead her to David's room.

He was laying in a hospital bed covered almost head to toe with bandages. Most of them were over one of his eyes, Luna worried he might be blind in that eye.

"Don't worry, he's stable now. He lost a lot of blood though, so it may be a while before he wakes up." The doctor said.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Well..." The doctor hesitated.

"What doctor? What's wrong?"

"It seems that the claw marks he received were deeper than we expected. He will have these for the rest of his life." The doctor explained.

Luna's ears flattened but she went over to David, who was basically dead to the world as he slept. She sighed and rested her head on the bed, the look of worry showing on her face.

The doctor left them alone. Luna stayed where she was for the rest of the night, occasionally nuzzling his arms when she heard him having nightmares to reassure his sleeping body that she was there.

It took three days till he woke up. He tried to sit up but Luna pushed him back on his back with her magic.

"Stay down David… You're still weak.." She soothed.

"Wha… What happened to me..?" David asked sleepily.

"Dark attacked you," Luna explained, her voice sounding almost filled with hate but remaining soft, "I took you here to get treated."

"Is he here..?" David asked, once again trying to sit up but being pushed back down.

"No," Luna stated. "He shouldn't be near you after what he did to you."

David stayed quiet for a moment before sighing, "It was my fault Luna. I was pressuring him to tell me what was wrong. I guess I took it a bit far and stepped over the line."

"It's not your fault David. Dark attacked you. It's his fault you're like this." Luna said.

David finally sat up a final time, and this time got out of the bed before Luna could push him back down.

"David?!" Luna yelped, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to see my brother." David said before he walked out of the room, a slight limp showing that he was in pain despite not showing it.

Luna quickly followed after him, knowing she couldn't change his mind, but allowing him to lean on her when he needed it.

Eventually they made it back to the castle, but Dark was already gone. David and Luna searched everywhere, but found nothing. Luna stepped into Shadic's study room when she saw a note.

Picking it up with her magic, she read, "Gone out for a while. Need to mend some broken fences. I'll should back soon if all goes well."

This left Luna in confusion, "...Mending broken...wait...he has friends?"

"I didn't know of that..." David said, "He always stays home, unless he goes to the bar."

"I wonder..." Luna murmured.

Meanwhile, Dark was rampaging through the forest. He knew a path was there, but it had been overrun with plants over the years. Luckily it was slightly trodden down so he knew which way to go.

Finally he reached an old looking cabin. It looked like it had been rebuilt at one point, but had slowly deteriorated through the years.

"... I hope this is it…" Dark murmured, and slowly walked up to the house.

He slowly walked up to the porch. And he knocked on the door. When he got no answer he knocked again. This time the door opened a bit, but still no true answer.

Wearily, he stepped inside. All the furniture was dusty and seemed like it hadn't been touched in centuries. He noticed a small book covered in the dust as well, and picked it up.

He opened it, and began going through photos that lay within it's pages. First it seemed like photos of Amy when she was smaller, with a few others sometimes.

Then he began recognizing photos from high school days, and shortly after photos of Amy and Truth and some kids. The last photo was of Amy and the children standing at a gravestone.

One looking rather pale, and seemed to be ill at the time. He slammed the book shut and put it down, "...Oh god what have I done…?"

He began looking around some more, walking up some stairs he came upon a room that had a cauldron in the middle.

Books lay scattered on the floor, and bottles full of unidentifiable liquids and objects. He had to admit he was becoming creeped out. He noticed a stand with a book flipped open.

He walked up and read the large headline print.

"Summoning Spirits…?" he said, seeming confused. Then it hit him, "She must be trying to get into contact with her…!"

But the door creaked open and he nearly jumped. He turned and saw Amy, "Um...I didn't touch anything I swear!"

"...Why are you in my house…?" she asked, seeming shocked to see him.

"I uh...your door was open…" he lied.

"I see you've found my spell room. What exactly are you trying to find here…?"

"...I don't know...C-Closure…?"

She scowled, "Closure? You want closure from me?! You think after what you've done I'll give you closure?! You're the reason my husband is dead!"

She began sobbing as she continued, "My children died because he was gone, because of you Nightshade! Truth was trying to help Soarin' get cured! And you sent him out on a mission that you knew would lead to his death! Soarin' died because I had no money to support him!"

Dark's ears flattened, finally feeling the weight of his actions, "N-No I...I meant to send more but...It was so chaotic…"

"My son tried to follow in his footsteps, and he died just as his father did! My daughter left, and I can only assume she's dead! You killed them! You ruined my life!" Amy hissed.

Dark visibly flinched away from Amy, he suddenly looked weak, unable to bare what he had done.

"Y...Yes...I sent him to his death. But I didn't know what was going on at his home. He never talked about his family, so I assumed he had no one." Dark said.

"I hate you Dark. I wish you were dead!" Amy snarled.

"AND YOU THINK I DON'T WISH I WAS DEAD AS WELL?!" Dark suddenly screamed, causing Amy to take a step back in fear.

"When Aleena died, I had to take on the burden of three growing boys, one of them able to have panic attacks since he was born! I couldn't handle it! I began to drink to try and drown my feelings!" Dark started.

"It caused me to become violent! Unpredictable! Even actually kicking out one of my boys in pure rage and hurting children when I was drunk! I even tried to kill myself with alcohol poisoning but I never did have the guts to drink one more!"

"Dark...!" Amy started, but Dark interrupted her.

"I have wished I was dead for so long. And you're not helping! I…I…I just wish..." Dark was finally breaking down and tears began to fall down his face, "I just wish.. Things were different…"

Dark closed his eyes tightly, allowing the tears to fall down his face before he couldn't handle not holding back what he wanted to scream.

But he pushed past Amy and left the house, trying to get away from her seeing him look so pathetic.

"Dark wait!" Amy cried and tried to follow Dark.

She lost him when the trail ended, but knew of only one place where she might find him. She ran to the direction of the Rosefields.

When she got there, she didn't see any sign of Dark for a minute before she saw him next to Aleena's grave, looking like a child that had just lost it's mother.

He was wiping tears away from his face, but more kept falling. Amy sighed, she had despised Dark since that night she was told Truth had died.

But seeing him as he was now, it was like looking in a mirror for Amy. She slowly and carefully inched towards Dark, and when she was close enough, her ears flattened.

She rubbed her arm, and then let out a breath before speaking up, "...I'm...not who you think I am anymore…"

Dark's ears flicked up, and he turned to look at her, "...What are you talking about?"

"...When I heard Aleena was dead as my husband was...I blamed myself for years. I didn't talk to anyone, didn't look at anyone...I just sat and...didn't take care of my kids like I should've…"

Dark listened patiently, not knowing this himself.

"It's not your fault my children are gone...It's mine...I had plenty of time to gather money…! I had so much time to plan things out and what did I do…? I just sat around moping like a baby. It's my fault my daughter hates me. It's my fault my sons died. But most of all...it's my fault you're like this…"

"Wh-What?"

"I wasn't there for you or Aleena when it mattered most...I stopped even giving a thought about either of you...if I could just go back and tell her I'm sorry...tell her I didn't mean to ignore her…"

"...You're wrong. It's not your fault...that I'm the way that I am today...it's my own. You don't need to bear such burdens on yourself Amelia."

"And you're saying you haven't done the exact same in turn…?"

"...How are you still up like this? Most might expect you to just end your own misery yourself."

"I considered that...until I remembered you were still out there somewhere."

Dark stayed quiet for a long time before he stood up and walked to Amy. Then he gave her a hug, gently at first, before he tightened his grasp, seeming afraid to let her go.

"Everything will be alright Amelia…" Dark whispered.

Amy stayed still for a moment, seeming shocked at the embrace, but hugged him back tightly. They stayed in the embrace for a long time, but then Amy noticed something on Aleena's gravestone.

It was her spirit. She was sitting on the stone gracefully, no marks to show that she had ever been killed and looking like she did when they had graduated high school.

"A-Aleena..?" Amy stampered, letting go of Dark.

Dark was confused for a minute before he turned and saw Aleena as well.

"A-Aleena..?!" Dark choked out, fresh tears appearing in his eyes and falling down his face.

Aleena stood and walked over to Dark. Standing on her toes, she him a kiss on his forehead. Then she took Dark's hand in one of her hands, and Amy's hand in the other.

She brought them both together and made the two holds hands.

"Aleena...?" Dark questioned, "Are you saying I need to move on...?"

Aleena smiled and nodded at Dark, then she turned to Amy. Even without words, Amy could tell that Aleena was telling her to take care of Dark.

"I promise Aleena." Amy said.

Aleena giggled silently, her spirit unable to make any sound, but Dark and Amy both could hear her giggling in their minds.

Aleena went back to Dark and gave him a single kiss, a final goodbye to him. And then she walked off, her spirit eventually dissolving into nothing.

Amy blushed, "Um...so...do you think there's a reason she joined our hands?"

Dark blushed furiously, "NOPE."

"Are you sure Dark?"

"Y-Yes?" Dark said nervously.

He realized he was still holding Amy's hand and hesitated before letting it go.

"I… I gotta go… I'll see you around okay?" Dark said with a weak smile.

"Dark… Can you promise me you'll stop drinking..? I know you have been.."

Dark stayed quiet for a long time, "There's no promises it will happen overnight.. But I will try.. Okay?"

"Alright.. I'll see you soon Dark.."

Dark smiled at Amy, and she could see new life in him that she didn't see before. Almost like he was reverting back to his normal self.

"See ya soon Amelia.." He said before he walked off.

Amy stayed at the gravesite for a long time after Dark left before she finally realized why Aleena had joined their hands together.

"Aleena… Are you sure you want us to be together..?" She whispered.

She received no answer and sighed before heading back to her house.

Later on with Dark, he finally made it back at his castle only to see Luna standing at the door.

"O-Oh! L-Luna! I wasn't expecting you to be home yet. H-How is David?" Dark asked.

"He's laying on the couch asleep. And I have some harsh words for you Da-"

Dark interrupted Luna before she could finish, "Yeah yeah I understand. I didn't mean to lash out like that. I just wanted to scare him so he would stop pestering me. I regret what I did, honest, but right now I have more important matters to attend."

"Like what?!" Luna growled.

"Speaking to a dead friend of mine. I'll be leaving at dawn. I won't be back for a few days. Maybe a week. I'm not for certain. I just know I need to talk to him." Dark stated.

He pushed past Luna and made his way up to his bedroom where he packed a light bag for his trip. He secretly hoped that his old friend would be willing to talk to him after so long and what he had done.

When dawn came Dark grabbed his things and left his room, only to bump into David.

"D-david…!" Dark stampered.

"Hello brother. Where are you going?" David asked, rubbing the eye that wasn't covered in bandages sleepily.

"I…" Dark started, wanting badly lie to his brother, but he couldn't bring himself to after what he had done.

With a sigh, he told his brother the truth, "I'm going to Spirit Mountain. I need to talk to Gorse if he is willing to speak with me. I… I can't help but to feel guilty for a lot of things in my past… I just want to talk to him."

"I'll come with you!" David exclaimed, suddenly wide awake.

"No David," Dark put a hand on his brother's chest to hold him in his spot, "I must do this alone. Okay?"

"... Fine…" David said, seeming hurt.

"I'm sorry David.." Dark's voice was soft, "But I must go alone.. Okay..?"

"... Fine…" David sighed before giving Dark a tight hug.

Dark hugged him back gently, keeping in mind his wounds. They stayed in the embrace for a while before letting go of eachother and Dark left the castle.

He went to the forest behind his castle, and walked the path that dozens had walked before him in the past.

Within the first day he managed to get lost by taking a wrong turn. Dark was looking at his map when he tripped and fell over a piece of a broken wood. With a grunt he got up and dusted himself off.

That's when he noticed he walked in on a burned down village. His first instinct was to go back the way he came, forget about it and think everything would be okay, but something drove him to look.

He started looking, finding a ton of burned bodies but some that were shot down with arrows that had found their target in their heads or just a lucky fatal blow.

Eventually he found a house that amazingly wasn't as burned as the others. Cautiously he went inside only to see a small bundle on the floor. He heard crying coming from it.

"H-Hello..?" Dark asked.

The bundle jolted up, making Dark step back in fear. Two small hands moved out of the bundle, which Dark now recognized as a burned, but still intact, blanket.

The blanket slid off the person to reveal a small blue wolf girl with a yellow muzzle and darker yellow hair. Her eyes were pink but he could see the sadness in them.

Instantly Dark felt a fatherly urge wash over him and he went to the girl. He knelt down and gently hugged the small child. She hugged him back tightly and sobbed into his chest fur.

"Shh.. It's okay little one… It will be okay… What happened here…? Where are your parents…?" Dark whispered.

"T-They're dead… They're dead because large rats with wings attacked…" The girl whimpered.

"I'm sorry little one… I.. I wish I was here to help… Where are your parents…?"

"O-out back…" She whimpered.

Dark picked up the child and carried her out back where he saw two bodies lying side by side, they must have been dragged there. Dark assumed it was the child who dragged them there.

"What is your name little one…?" Dark asked softly.

"B-Bella…" The child whimpered.

"I am Dark. What is your parents names Bella?"

"M-May...And J-Jefferson..." Bella said.

"Do you want them buried...?" Dark asked.

Bella looked down a bit, seeming sad, but nodded. Dark set her down and walked off to find a shovel. He instantly felt something grab at his cape and looked to see Bella holding onto it. He didn't complain.

He found a shovel and went back to the bodies with Bella. He made her sit down as he started to dig up two graves for her parents.

As night fell Dark could feel that it was getting colder. He glanced to Bella and saw the girl shivering. With a heave, Dark got out of the four foot grave and went over to the girl while taking off his cape. He put it around her shoulders.

"Here. It's made from the finest cotton in the kingdom. It will keep you warm." He said.

Bella seemed surprised at his kindness,but nuzzled the cape a bit and seemed to warm up.

"T...Thank you…" Bella said. Dark smiled before going back to the graves to dig some more.

It was almost dawn when Dark finished and got out of the grave. He saw that Bella was asleep and curled up in his cape, so he went inside and found a couple of intact blankets.

He wrapped them around Bella's parent's bodies and set each of them next to the designated graves. Dark then found some wood and some string to make a couple crosses and carved their names on them with a knife that he had brought before sticking them in the ground at the head of the graves.

Then he woke up Bella by shaking her gently.

"Bella… It's time…" Dark whispered.

Bella sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Dark gently picked her up and went to the body of her mother. Bella started to cry silently as Dark spoke.

"May The Wolf, I grant your spirit eternal peace. May your spirit be happy as your body rests in the ground and may you one day be reborn into a better life. I grant you, a peaceful slumber." Dark said before going to Jefferson's body.

"Jefferson The Wolf, may your strong spirit and heart find peace in death. You cared greatly for those you loved and you were once a strong man who was passionate about your family. I grant that your spirit will be at peace as your body is laid to rest in the ground. May you rest in peace."

Dark gently put Bella to the ground and picked up the body of Jefferson before putting it in the ground. He did the same with May.

He covered the bodies with dirt before going over to Bella. She had been crying silently the entire time, but she had tolerated it better than what he thought she would.

"Bella… I know this is sad.. You can cry aloud.. It will be okay.." Dark said while gently getting her face in his hands and wiping away the tears.

"I-I n-need to b-be st-strong...!" Bella whimpered.

"You are strong little one..." Dark said and gave the small girl a hug.

She hugged him back tightly and sobbed into his chest fur once more. He gently patted her head as she cried and eventually she calmed down and let him go.

"I...I don't have anywhere to go..." Bella whimpered.

Dark stayed quiet for a long time before he smiled.

"I can always take care of you…" He offered, "I know I'm still a stranger, but I promise I will take care of you. I've had three boys of my own. I think I can take care of you."

"... O-Okay …" Bella said with a small smile, "I trust you."

"Good. Now come on. I'll take you to the castle. I think I know where I'm at now. And it should be easy."

"Will you carry me if I get tired?" Bella asked.

Dark stood and went to his cape before tying it back on as he answered, "Of course Bella. So long as you answer my questions about you."

"Yaaayyy!" Bella said, seeming happier than she has been since Dark had met her.

Dark chuckled and lead the way out of the village. It wasn't a few minutes after they left that he noticed that Bella was holding two of his fingers. He didn't react for a moment before he took her hand in his.

'Gorse… You knew I was wanting to talk.. Did you make me get lost to find Bella?' Dark thought.

"Mr. Dark?" Bella asked.

"Yes Bella?"

"How are babies made?"

Dark settled his decision then. He would keep her as an adopted daughter. Main reason was because she spoke what was on her mind.

"A bird flies a baby that was made from spirit mountain and gives it to the parents." Dark said calmly, "Now my turn to ask a question, we'll make this a game."

"Okay." Bella smiled.

"How old are you?"

"I'm five, how old are you?"

"I'm a little over forty thousand years." Dark answered.

They went on with the questions. Bella eventually got tired of walking and Dark carried her on his back. When she was sleeping Dark glanced back and smiled.

"Yeah...You're an okay kid...I'll admit that…" Dark said.

Then he continued walking back to the castle with Bella on his back. It took him till dusk when he got home. As soon as he entered he saw Luna laying on the couch asleep with David using her side as a pillow.

Dark couldn't help but to smile as he took Bella upstairs to a spare bedroom and put the sleeping girl in the bed. Dark left the room and came back with a chair where he sat next to the bed, and promptly fell asleep.

That morning, Luna woke up and stretched her limbs. She used her magic to gently lift David off her and got up. She set him back down and went upstairs to take a hot bath.

She stopped dead in tracks when she passed by the door that Dark was in. She backed up and peeked in. She instantly saw Dark asleep in the chair, but then she saw the sleeping body of Bella.

"What the heck…?" Luna whispered.

Dark snorted awake a bit, and Luna ducked away to hide herself but kept peeking into the room. Dark rubbed his eyes and yawned before looking to Bella. He stood and put the blanket of the bed over her and she stirred awake.

"Hnn…? Mr. Dark…?" Bella murmured sleepily.

"It's okay Bella. You're in the kingdom castle now. You get some rest and I'll have a servant bring you some food and get you cleaned while I go out and get you some new cloths okay..?" Dark's voice was softer than Luna had ever heard, she was amazed at how kind he sounded.

"No…! I wanna go with you…!" Bella complained a bit.

Dark chuckled and shook his head, "No Bella. I'll get you new clothes while you get food and cleaned okay? Plus, later on today I wanna take you to get you put under my care."

"You're gonna be my new daddy...?" Bella asked.

"If they allow me to. Yes." Dark said.

Bella sat up and hugged Dark. He seemed a bit surprised at the hug, but he hugged the girl back. He seemed determined to be a good father to the orphan.

"Thank you Mr. Dark.." Bella murmured.

"Just call me Dark, Bella. Okay?"

"Okay…" Bella let go of Dark and smiled. He smiled back.

"Now get some rest." He said.

"Goodnight...papa…" she murmured as she finally slipped off to sleep.

Dark sighed, then headed for the door. Luna used her magic to cloak herself in a veil of camouflage so he did not see her.

Once he was gone she stopped her hold with her magic and the veil disappeared. She quietly stepped into the room and examined the child.

"Hmm...Seems she's having nightmares. I'll fix that!" she said, and her horn glowed white.

When Dark came home, he was shocked to see David playing patty cake with Bella as Luna watched joyfully. Luna glanced up once he entered, "Quite the imagination she's got this one."

Dark began to feel nervous, "So...are you still mad at me…?"

Luna's smile faded, and with dead eyes replied, "We'll talk about this in the kitchen, if you will."

With that, she flew off, and Dark had no choice but to follow. Once there he found her sitting at a table drinking tea. She looked up, "Sit."

Dark did so, noticing she had given him his own tea, "So...what did you want to talk about…?"

"I think you know by now that what you did to David was both unacceptable and irresponsible. I am to say the least, very very upset."

Dark gulped, but let her continue, "However, I found that you brought a poor orphaned girl here. She told me all I needed to know and...I'm going to give you a chance to prove to me you're not like you once were."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Dark yelped.

"I want you to actually raise her this time. Do not dare strike her, drink in her presence, or even so much as put her in the dungeon. I want you to give her a normal, happy life."

Dark looked down at his tea for a minute before standing up and going to the fridge. He opened the door and brought out a twelve pack of beer. Dark turned to Luna, she seemed horrified for a second before he held the case out to her.

"David always threw out the beer without asking me. But right now, I'm asking you to take it away. Even if I buy more, throw it out. I shall not drink, I won't hit her. I won't even throw her in the dungeon. The girl and you have my word, that she will have a normal life." Dark said.

Luna stayed still a moment before taking the case from Dark's grasp.

"I want you to watch as these are thrown out. And if I see that you accept this, and you don't buy any more, I will allow you to keep the child.

"Okay Luna…" Dark said.

Luna lead Dark out of the house before she used her magic to throw the beer against a tree, shattering every bottle. Dark seemed to cringe a bit at the sight of the beer being wasted, but he didn't complain.

That night Dark was helping Bella with her new clothes now that she was clean and rested up. He got her in a pajama shirt with a pink flower on it.

"Well. At least I got the right size." Dark smiled and messed up Bella's hair.

"You're the best!" Bella said and gave Dark a hug.

He hugged her back with a gentle smile. They stayed in the hug for a while before they finally let go of eachother. Dark picked up Bella and set her in her bed.

"Get some rest Bella. I'll take you to the court tomorrow to get the adoption settled." Dark said.

"Okay...Goodnight papa..." Bella smiled and nuzzled herself under the blanket.

Dark tucked her in and kissed her head.

"Goodnight Bella." Dark said and left the room, leaving the door open to allow some light to go into the room.

He went downstairs to see David sitting on the couch watching TV. Dark finally decided it's best that David evened out what Dark had done.

"David?" Dark started.

David looked back at Dark with his only eye that was showing.

"Yes brother?"

"I want you to hit me. Free shot. As hard as you want." Dark said.

David seemed to hesitate for a second before he stood and went in front of Dark. He didn't even warn his brother as he flat out punched his brother on the nose.

Dark fell back and held his nose as it began to bleed, he was pretty sure David had broken it.

"Nice one." Dark said.

"Thank you." David replied with a smile.

Luna walked in from the kitchen, and gasped, "Oh my sister what did you two do?!"

David's ears flattened against his head and he looked down guiltily, "Um...I…"

"I hit myself."

"What?" Luna asked.

"I had a muscle spasm."

"Oh you poor thing! Come along, we must treat that immediately! Guards!"

"Luna I'm fine! Don't worry!" Dark said while he got up. still holding his nose.

"Nonsense!" Luna exclaimed before she got behind Dark and pushed him away.

Dark complained but glanced back at David. David smiled and waved, he mouthed 'thank you' to Dark. Dark smiled and gave David a thumbs up.

Though things seemed to be getting much better for them, Amy was still stuck. Though she had found closure, she was still poor and alone.

It rained that afternoon, and she was just staggering through the forest on her way home. Opening her door, she sighed.

It wasn't a very welcoming sight at all. She knew she would have to clean up, but she wasn't in the mood. She slowly made her way up to her spell room.

Opening the book, she began pondering, "Maybe...if I can just find a spell...just to start over…"

That's when she noticed a black book on the window sill. She slowly went over to it and opened it, "...Forbidden magic...maybe there's something in here…?"

She flipped through the pages till she finally found it. She read aloud, "It is considered highly risky due to spirits being the only ones to do it correctly. However...there is a five percent chance that it is done right."

"The regular ingredients will do for each, but even a witch cannot do it with just those alone. You must find just one more ingredient no matter the gender. It is difficult to find, but it will be worth it."

Amy suddenly gasped, "The power of the emerald of light…?! But that means...oh dear...I hope he's not mad at me for this…!"

Amy then packed her bag and ran out once more. That night at the castle all was quiet. However, just around midnight Luna was awoken by yelling.

She rubbed her eyes and slowly got up. She opened her door and saw guards chasing after a cloaked woman.

"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!" the guards shouted.

But the woman didn't stop. Luna growled, "A thief hm…? Well it looks like I'll have to take care of it myself…!"

Her horn glowed, and suddenly the woman was lifted up unable to move. She gasped. The guards eventually caught up and Luna placed her in their grasp.

She took from her a hand a white glowing emerald, and growled once more, "Why you little…!" She angrily used her magic to take the hood down of the woman's cloak.

However Luna's angered expression turned to one of shock as she dropped the glowing gem. "A...Amelia…?"

Amy looked up, also shocked, "What…? How…?!"

Their conversation was interrupted however as Dark and David both arrived with guards of their own.

"What the hell is going on?!" Dark growled, but then he noticed Amy.

David saw Dark seem to freeze up and took control, "What is she doing in here? Why is she in here?"

"She stole one of the emeralds sir." One of the guards said.

Luna showed the white emerald to David. Dark shook his head roughly to snap out of it.

"Amy. Why did you steal the emerald?" Dark asked, his voice calm and surprising everyone.

"I.. I.." Amy started, but she couldn't get her words out.

"You..?"

"I WANTED TO MAKE ANOTHER CHILD!" Amy blurted out.

Everyone seemed to gasp except for Dark. He stared at Amy for a long moment before turning away.

"I want her to have her own room. She's not allowed to leave the castle for a few days." Dark said.

"Not the dungeon?" One guard said.

"No. Just give her a room to stay. She is our guest. I also want the emeralds under protection at all times until she leaves." Dark said.

The guards nodded and led Amy away. Dark stayed still for a long time before sighing and walking away. David and Luna looked at each other in pure shock. They had expected Dark to put her in the dungeon, not make her a guest.

The next day Dark went to the room Amy was given and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Amy said.

"It's Nightshade." Dark answered.

"... Come in." She said.

Dark opened the door and walked in to see Amy on the bed looking through a book. Dark went over to her and sat down next to her.

They stayed in silence for a long moment before Dark piped up.

"Why did you take that emerald to make a child?" Dark asked.

"I miss having children around..." Amy admitted.

Dark stayed quiet before he finally noticed the book Amy was looking at. It was a photo album from their old school. Dark couldn't help but to smile and pointed at a picture.

"I remember that day. It was when Gorse spilled grape soda all over his chest. His fur was dyed purple for a week!" Dark chuckled.

"He tried so hard to get it out." Amy giggled and turned the page, "And here's when Aleena decided to put your hair up in pigtails. It was sooo cute!"

Dark chuckled as he looked at the picture of his mock grumpy face. He had tolerated it that day. Then he noticed another picture.

"The beach. When it was summer vacation." Amy said, a hint of sadness in her voice but she was smiling.

"Gorse had too much soda and candy from the store. He ended up dumping ice water all over you." Dark smiled.

"That was cold!" Amy exclaimed.

"And you gave him a hit that had him with a waddle for a few days!" Dark laughed.

They both ended up giggling like idiots while they looked through the pictures of the beach. Eventually they got to one picture of Dark, Amy, and Aleena all in one picture.

Amy brushed her hand against the photo, "I miss her Dark. I really do." she admitted.

"I miss her too." Dark sighed.

He seemed to hesitate a moment before he gave Amy a hug. It took her a moment before returning it. Once they let go of each other, she shut the book.

She looked down, "...I just want another chance...I want to do it right this time…"

Without warning, Dark grabbed her hands.

"D-Dark?!" she squeaked, but was quickly pulled into a kiss.

Amy didn't react for a moment, her face turning red with shock, but her eyes closed as Dark kissed her and she didn't pull away.

They stayed locked together for a long time before Dark finally broke his kiss with her.

"I'm sorry..." He said, "I just wanted to do that… Just once..."

"Dark…" Amy said.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way.." Dark looked away, seeming sad.

Amy put her hand on Darks' cheek and made him look at her, "Why would you think I wouldn't feel the same way?" she asked.

"Well, I, umm..." Dark blushed madly and looked down sadly, "Because of what I have done since Aleena died.."

"Dark… What you did was mostly out of drunken rage, am I right?"

"Well… Y-Yeah.."

"If you can prove to me you have changed, I can easily forgive you."

"Well about that-" Dark was interrupted by a loud laughing shriek and looked to see Bella run in with David chasing her.

"PAPA SAVE ME!" Bella giggled and hid behind Dark.

David laughed, "Give her to me Dark! The princess will not be taken by the prince that was chosen! I, Vincent Von Darklord shall take her as my own!"

Dark smirked and covered Bella with his cape, "Never in your wildest dreams Darklord!" He said, easily catching up with the game.

"She will be mine!" David said.

Dark stood up and smirked. "Over my dead body!"

Both brothers began to play fight while the girls watched, Bella giggling happily and Amy smiling.

Amy looked to Bella, "What's your name little one?"

"I'm Bella!" Bella said.

"And let me guess, you live here?"

"I do now! Papa said I could!"

"'Papa?'" Amy echoed.

"Mr. Dark here thats playing with Mr. David! Papa chose to adopt me."

"Adopt?"

"Yeah. My real parents died when my village got attacked, papa came by and he buried them. He asked if I wanted to come with him and I said yes." Bella said.

"I'm sorry about your parents." Amy said.

"It's okay miss… Um… I don't know your name really."

"I'm Amelia. You can call me Amy though." Amy smiled.

"Can't I call you mama? I need a mama now. And papa seems to like you."

Dark and David froze their mock battle, and Dark's face turned pure red. David was just surprised. Amy's face turned red as well.

"Um... I-I'm not sure about that Bella…" Amy said while she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Papa can Amy be my Mama?" Bella asked Dark.

Dark's face was pure red, he seemed in shock. David waved a hand in front of Dark's face.

"I think he's broken now." David said.

Bella giggled, "Oh well. Come on Mr. David! Let's go to Luna! You need to get all those bandages removed."

Bella grabbed David and dragged him away. Dark stayed frozen for a moment before he shook his head roughly.

"Um… A-About what Bella said…" He said.

Amy giggled, "Well, by the looks of it, she definitely likes you as a father. And she seems to want me as a mother."

Dark's face reddened even further, "Um… Yeah.. I-I'd rather wait a while. H-how about… A date? Just to see how things go?"

Amy blushed and smiled. She went to Dark and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay. I guess that works." Amy smiled.

Dark blushed and smiled back at Amy.

During this entire time, Biohazard, after being kicked out as a teen, had been living in the Blackmist Forest.

He had went there after being kicked out for calling his father a filth blood and basically hadn't left. He didn't care that the Blackmist forest stripped vampires of their immortality.

The first week that he was there he was building a cabin with the dead trees of the forest, his hand slipped on a dead log and he let out a cry of pain. He looked at his hand to see his wound was already healing.

"What the hell..?" Biohazard whispered.

"You were born in this forest." A voice said behind him.

Biohazard spun around to see a black wolf with red stripes in his hair behind him.

"Enu!" Biohazard growled.

"I'm not going to attack you," Enu raised his hands to show he was unarmed, "Even if I did, your wounds would heal instantly."

"You said I was born in this forest. What are you talking about?" Biohazard asked.

"Your mother came here when you were born. It was an honest mistake actually, she had wandered here because your father was being unnecessarily worried. She went into labor here, right where you are standing to be exact."

Biohazard involuntarily took a sidestep away from the spot, feeling a bit grossed out at the thought of his birth place was on that spot.

"I was the one to help her deliver you." Enu said.

"What?"

"I'm not like others in this forest. I am a half blood here. My father was part of the world you lived in, outside of this forest. My mother… She lived here. Look, when your mother gave birth to you in this forest, its effects went to you. You are immortal both here and your… Home."

"... Why did you help my mother give birth to me?" Biohazard asked.

Enu stayed quiet before he chuckled and shook his head with a slight smile, "Sometimes I ask myself that same thing. I should have killed her, but I was still young. Just getting out of teenage years for vampires like you… So about 1800... I helped her when I heard her calling for help."

"... Why didn't she tell me?"

"I asked her not to. While she was holding you, leaning against a tree with me sitting next to her, I asked her not to tell anyone that I had helped her. She agreed. To be honest, I was afraid then."

"Afraid?"

"I was afraid if your father knew that I had helped your mother give birth, he would come kill me thinking I had done something to you," Enu said and looked up at the sky.

"It's getting dark. I'll let you stay at my place for the night, and I'll help build your house if you're staying here."

Biohazard stayed quiet for a minute before he smiled at Enu, "Yeah. I'll stay here. Thanks Enu."

That was many years ago. Biohazard was now a grown man, visiting his siblings once a month. He never told them where he was living, and every time he was asked about a job he just said it was a secrete.

Biohazard was eating on a bowl of cereal and gasped as he felt a slight pain in his eyes. He knew this changed his eye color to gray and made him see things that others could not.

He set his spoon back in his bowl and looked up, seeing a transparent looking girl. She had her neck sliced open, and her eyes were dull.

"Hello," Biohazard said, unfazed at the sight, "Do you know who murdered you?"

The girl nodded, she was unable to speak, every one that was like her, no matter what the killing wound was, was unable to speak.

"Could you show me?"

The girl nodded again as stood before moving through the table and out of the house. Biohazard sighed and looked at his bowl.

I guess I won't eat today, throat murders always makes me lose my appetite, Biohazard thought. He then stood and followed after the girl.

It didn't take her long to show Biohazard her murderer. Her murderer was a boy, couldn't be much older than 19. Biohazard sighed and called the police, reporting a murder as the girl showed him where her body was. He then reported the boy as well.

It didn't take long for the authorities to arrest the boy. Biohazard looked to the girl who was now wearing a white dress and no longer had her throat slit. She smiled at Biohazard and walked away. When she faded, Biohazards' eyes turned back to the normal red he always had.

With a sigh, he left to his Blackmist Forest home. When he walked into his house he saw Enu laying on his couch. This had become a common sight for Biohazard so he was unfazed.

"What is it you want Enu?"

"Your couch is more comfortable than mine is all. Considering I mostly sleep outside." Enu said as he stretched his limbs.

"And why are you here?" Biohazard asked.

"I need a favor." Enu stated as he sat up.

"What?"

Enu stood and went over to Biohazard, "I need you to get some of your younger brother's blood. Not much, just a pint."

"Why?" Biohazard growled.

"On occasion I need blood. Your brother, Alex, has the type of blood I need."

"Why do you need his blood?"

Enu seemed to hesitate a moment. Biohazard crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. Finally Enu sighed and rolled up his sleeve, revealing two small slices in his arm, one above the elbow and one right below it.

"I need blood on occasion cause of me being a halfblood. This arm cannot use blood properly, so i need Pureblood blood to help it."

"I'm a pureblood." Biohazard stated.

"No. Not your blood. I need blood from a pureblood that was born and raised in the side of the forest that you grew up in. Basically people born outside of the forest."

"Why do you have two slices? And why are they not bleeding?" Biohazard asked.

"One is for blood from this forest. The other is for blood from a pureblood."

"And where do you get the blood from here?"

"I have ways. Now will you get the blood or not?"

Biohazard stayed quiet for a minute but then he sighed, "Fine,"

"Thank you Biohazard. I need to go now. See you later. Oh, and I need the blood in three days."

With that, Enu left the house. Biohazard stayed still for a minute before he sighed and walked over to his phone. He grabbed it and dialed the number for his younger brother.

"Hello?" Shadic's voice said sleepily.

"Hey Shadic did I wake you?"

"Nah… Not really… Whatcha need big bro?"

"I know this is an odd request. I have a friend that needs a pint of your blood."

"What? Why?"

"You're the only match that he needs."

"Why is that?"

"He needs it for his arm. Is it okay that I come and get the blood from you?"

"I… Guess…"

Biohazard smiled a bit, "Thanks Alex. See you tomorrow."

With that, he hung up on Shadic and he sat on his couch. Eventually Biohazard fell asleep on his couch.

Amy was finally back in her small cottage, stirring substance in her glowing cauldron. She giggled, but also felt incredibly guilty doing so.

"Sorry Nightshade...I do love you...but this is something I need to do…" she said sadly, putting a white glowing emerald down on the countertop beside her.

The substance turned a bright pink, then slowly became orange. This perplexed Amy, "Hmm...that's strange...I didn't put any dna in it yet…"

Without warning, something blew out and smoke filled the room. Amy noticed that the sound of boiling had suddenly willowed away, replaced by the cries of a baby.

She gasped and grinned, waving away the smoke to reveal a newborn baby girl. She had crispy brown fur and bright orange hair. A wolf too, Amy was even more surprised.

She picked up the crying child, and began cradling it gently. "Hmm...what to call you...how about...Krystel…?"

The baby's tears subsided and she sniffled. She then looked to Amy and giggled. Amy smiled at the child and kissed her head, glad she now had a child to care for.

I told you it was a bad idea, Talon read on a piece of paper. He was holding his tongue over a cup since he got it split down the middle a bit and was bleeding pretty badly.

"Buck you Bunp!" Talon spoke with his tongue out, flinching in pain from it. Punt just stared at him with a mad expression before he wrote something else.

What will that girl think that you've been flirting with? The paper read.

Talon let out a groan of annoyance and crossed his eyes to look down at his cup. Half empty, half full, he couldn't tell really. Just he was amazed at how much he was bleeding.

"It's normal." The man that had sliced Talon's tongue said, as if he was reading Talons' mind.

"Wem cam we be doe?" Talon asked.

"In another five minutes for your tongue to stop bleeding. Why did you even want this?"

"I baw ib on T.B."

"Ah. I see."

Talon looked to see Punt was holding another piece of paper in front of him.

I'm not gonna allow you to continue this. This is the last body modification I'll help you pay for. The paper read.

Talon just flipped off his friend, he was in too much pain to complain. After the five minutes were up, Talon and Punt left the parlor that they went to. Punt then bought some ibuprofen for Talon and crushed it up so his friend could take it without using his tongue very much.

Talon stayed out of school for a month while his tongue healed, Punt always brought him his homework and occasionally the tests as well but made sure Talon couldn't cheat while he took them.

"Thish ish weird.." Talon said the best he could with his new tongue. He took a breath in frustration and tried again, this time taking it slower.

"Thish ish weird…. Thisshhh… Ishh… Weird… Thiiissss…. Issss.. FINALLY! I CAN SSSSPEAK!" Talon yelled and did a little dance in his chair.

Punt just stared at him. Then he just flat out smacked Talon.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

Punt pointed at a piece of paper that he had wrote something on.

"'Bella wanted to know where you were. She's been worried about you since you haven't been at school.'" Talon read aloud, "Did you tell her what I did?"

Punt shook his head no.

"Invite her over tomorrow. I won't be going back till next monday anyways." Talon said.

Punt sighed and stood with a faint smirk on his lips and shook his head. He wrote on the paper again.

See you. It read. Talon nodded and said his goodbyes to Punt.

Talon stood at the door and waved at his friend while he walked away, "Byyyyyyyyyeeeeeee…" He said.

As soon as Punt was out of sight Talon slammed the door and began to dance in place, once again happy that he could now speak properly with his tongue again.

The next day Punt came in with Bella, it had been years since she was adopted from Dark and she had grown into a fine teenage girl. She was very polite and never got into fights unlike Talon, and she also took flute lessons.

When she got into the house with Punt, she saw Talon on the couch dead asleep with a R-rated magazine lying on his face. Punt look frustrated at the sight.

Punt walked over to the sleeping body and yanked off the magazine. Talon snorted awake and sit up a bit.

"Whazzat? Wha? I didn't steal a car…!" Talon said sleepily.

Punt just pointed to Bella, and Talon tilted his head back to see her.

"Oh heyyyy Bella. How ya been?"

"... I didn't know you wore superman underwear." Bella said pointedly.

Talon looked confused for a second before he looked and saw he was indeed only in his underwear, with a yelp he dived off the couch and ran up his steps to his room.

"PUNT WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!" Talon yelled from his room.

Punt just looked to Bella with a stressed expression, Bella giggled at him.

"I just did! But don't worry. I plan on being a nurse when I'm able to. I'm sure I'm gonna have to get used to far worse." She said.

Talon soon came down in clothes, and of course his jacket. He stuck his tongue out teasingly and Bella frowned.

"Come on Talon, really?"

Talon soon realised what she was talking about and put his tongue back in his mouth, "Aw c'mon Bell, you know how I am!"

"Yes, I do. And I also know how you used to be. Those things are so...so…"

"Different than what I was when we we're kids…?" Talon frowned.

"Well. Yeah… I miss that Talon. You used to be a good kid," Bella said.

"Yeah. Used to be. Then I lost my father. The damn bastard left me," Talon scowled at the ground.

"Talon..." Bella started.

"No. I don't want pity Bella. He left me, I changed, what's done is done. And nothing can change who I am now."

"He left for a reason Talon! He didn't do it to just-"

"BELLA JUST DROP IT!" Talon yelled. Bella snapped her jaw closed in surprise at Talon's rage, but then she realized tears were in his eyes.

"That fucker left because he couldn't care for me. He left because Ma died. He didn't want to see my face because I reminded him so much of my mother. Just…. Drop it. Alright?" Talon said.

"Talon…" Bella started, but Punt put his hand up to tell her to be quiet for a second.

Punt walked up to Talon and stood right in front of him, looking his friend dead in the eyes. Talon stared back for a second before he started to break down.

Punt gave Talon a hug and the teen gripped his friend's shirt as he began to sob uncontrollably while also feeling pathetic for crying in front of a girl.

"Why…? Why doesn't he care…?! We used to be close, but when ma died he tossed me aside like trash…! What's wrong with me…?!"

Punt just shook his head, seeing his friend like this reminded him of before he used to live on his own.

The only one he ever really told was Talon, which was the only reason he had no problem with his friend's constant silence.

"Mummy…? It's so cold…"

"I know love, but trust me, it ain't any worse than your da and I's first home. Had to give up your poor sister it was so harsh."

"Why does da act so funny after drinking that stuff from those glass bottles?"

"It's called alcohol love, and it'll tear you apart if you aren't careful."

"That sounds awful!"

"Yes, but enough chatter, it's late. Come cuddle up love, it'll keep us both warmer."

"Okay…Wait...what's that noise…? It's so loud…! Oh god mummy it hurts…!"

"Wait a minute...that sounds like…..AAAHHH!"

"Mummy!"

Punt shook his head, he didn't want to think about it. Talon was still sobbing on his chest and he could feel that it was soaked from where his friend was crying so much.

"Why…?" Talon whimpered.

Punt sighed and shrugged a bit, unsure of how to answer. Eventually Talons' tears subsided and he then fainted from exhaustion. Punt looked to Bella, she just smiled gently and went over to the boys.

Both Punt and Bella picked Talon up and moved him to the couch, Bella managed to get Talon's jacket off so he wouldn't overheat while asleep and then she went over to Punt.

"We should do something for him," She said.

Punt looked at her with a confused expression at first. Bella then giggled.

"He's gonna need a friend to care for him. How about we make him dinner?" She suggested.

Punt stared at Bella with a look of horror.

"What? You never cooked?"

Punt shook his head no.

"Then what do you eat? Ugh. Nevermind. Into the kitchen with you." She said and grabbed her friend's' soaked shirt.

She dragged him into the kitchen and she began to teach him what she knew about cooking.

Talon woke up about an hour later smelling cooked meat. His stomach growled and his mouth water with temptation. He sat up and looked to see Punt in an apron in his kitchen.

"What….?" Talon questioned.

Then he saw Bella go over to Punt also wearing an apron and holding a steaming plate of something. Talon watched them and couldn't help but to smile at them, glad that they had stayed by his side for so many years.

"Morning sunshine. We cooked you up some dinner while you were napping."

"Wait, Punt I thought you said you don't cook."

Punt shook his head, and held up a cookbook.

"Oh. Huh. Anyways, what'd you guys come over for in the first place anyways?"

Bella smiled, "Well I thought I'd tell you that my father would like to meet you. He seemed really interested when I told him you were- er...n-nevermind."

"No it's okay Bell, I'm over it now."

"If you say so. Look I know you don't think he's a great guy, but he didn't have to adopt me when I was all alone. But he did. And he takes good care of me and my sisters."

"Well...I...I just...didn't want to believe it after everything ma had told me."

"And I understand completely, but he's a changed man. You'll see."

"If you say so Bell."

"Oh, and by the way, happy seventeen thousand and first birthday."

"Aw shucks, thanks Bell."

"Sooo, what does the birthday boy wanna do today?"

"I dunno, what'd we do last year?"

"You broke into your father's wine cabinet in the basement and crashed his motorcycle. Which Punt and I had to pay for by the way!" she said, annoyed.

"Heh heh, yeah. Sorry about that."

Punt raised a brow, and as if Talon could read his mind said, "Don't worry I'm not gonna drink again! Well...not till I'm twenty-one thousand. Then I'm gonna get tanked."

"Oh no you won't! Not while I'm around!"

"Aw c'mon Bell, it's delicious!"

"And dangerous! Don't you remember what happened?!"

"Woo hoo! I'm a free birdy! Look at mah wings!"

"Talon sit down on that thing! You're gonna get yourself killed like that!"

"Pft, as if! Vampires don't die from natural causes like them pussy mortals!"

"No, but you'll fall into some spiky ass wood maybe."

"C'mon Bells where's your sense of adventure?!"

"About three hours into the past when I thought it was a good idea to let you do this."

"Hey! I see a big ol' totem pole! Make a wish!"

"That makes no sen- ...Talon LOOK OUT!"

Talon looked ahead and let out a yell of surprise as he saw a tree right ahead of him. He slammed on the breaks of the motorcycle and it veered to the side as he tried to skid to a halt, but he wasn't fast enough.

The bike crashed into the tree and Talon went with it. He felt a crack in his arm and he hit his head on the trunk of the tree. He felt another crack in his leg and let out a yell of pain.

Bella came running to him, worried he might of killed himself, but Talon was still alive and conscious amazingly.

"Woooaaahhhh…." Talon said with his eyes wide, "Let's do that again!" Then he passed out.

"Yes I remember…" Talon sighed.

"And you won't do it again now will you?" Bella said.

"No…well maybe..."

Bella sighed, "Talon...What am I gonna do with you?" She asked.

"Don't punch me in the crotch like you did when I woke up from that thing. That hurt!"

"I'll do it if I have to!"

Punt was just watching them with a plate in his hands looking a bit lost at what to do. But he couldn't help but to note that there was a hint of love in both of the teens voices.

Bella felt a vibration in her pocket and reached into it. She pulled out her phone and looked to see a text from her adopted father.

Hurry and get home I'm about to draw a dick on David's' face. NO ONE CAN STOP ME! She read.

With a chuckle she put her phone back into her pocket and took off the apron.

"I gotta go before Papa makes grandma Luna mad. But I might come back later, if not I'll see you tomorrow at school Talon."

"Is today Sunday?"

"Yeah."

"In that case, yeah I'll be there. It's time I go back anyways. I'm starting to develop cabin fever." Talon smiled.

Bella smiled back and left the house. Punt instantly sat down next to Talon and smiled slyly at him with the plate in his hands.

"What?"

Punt made some kissy noises.

"NO I DON'T!" Talon yelped and his face turned red with embarrassment.

Punt chuckled and handed Talon the plate before going back into the kitchen to make his own plate. Talon pouted a bit as he took a bite out of the meat, but instantly perked at the taste before starting to devour the meal.

Ten thousand four hundred and seventy five days… Shadow thought. He always counted each day how long it had been, while simultaneously thinking about how many more days it would be.

He looked up, "I hope this was really the right thing to do. But will it have mattered when I return…? Would he have forgotten me…?"

He sighed, "I guess I'm just doomed to a life of misery. What did I ever do…? I never asked for this shit."

He sighed once more as the wind picked up. His ears flicked up, "Wait a minute...what the hell is that? And why does it feel so...familiar…?"

Shadow… A voice whispered.

"Terrisa?!" Shadow yelled.

Hurry...

"Terrisa?! Where are you?!" Shadow yelled and started to run after the voice, but he felt something grab his ankle and he fell.

"OOF!" He yelped and looked back to see the person he had been training with the past few years.

He had come to know him as "Master", since he seemed to have no other name.

He crossed his arms, seeming perplexed, "The hell are you doing?"

"Um...just...resting Master."

"Right…anyways, it's time again. Come along now, we're not done yet."

"R-Right," Shadow replied, getting up and dusting himself off. He looked back I wonder what the hell happened there...probably just my imagination…

He followed after his master, only stopping once they had reached a small pond, "Never seen this before."

"Of course you haven't. It's hard to find."

"Then how did you find it?"

"...Let's begin, now sit."

Shadow sat on a small boulder, sighing.

"Now, this is going to get touchy today. I want you to think about your wife Shadow."

Shadow swallowed his temptation to chew him out, and took a deep breath, "Y-Yes...okay…"

"Think about how much that makes you angry. What you would love to do to that man that murdered her."

Shadow began shaking, and found it hard to control his powers. An spear made from energy even spawned without his control.

It nearly hit his master, but he managed to dodge it.

"Good. Now think about why your anger has ruined you."

Shadow began visibly twitching, trying hard to control himself, but found it near impossible.

"...Why are you here…?"

"I want to get rid of this anger...so that my son is safe from my wrath…"

"And would your wife want you sulking right now? Want you to be unable to control your emotions?"

"...No…"

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

Shadow suddenly fell onto his hands and knees and screamed out in rage and pain as a red aura surrounded him.

"C'mon Shadow! You need to learn to control your rage! Just think about what could happen if you don't!"

Shadow growled, but the aura began to dissipate and he calmed. He coughed, and breathed heavily having used up nearly all his energy towards controlling himself.

"Shit...so close…!"

"Yes, indeed you are. You've improved since day one."

"You mean when I handed your ass to you?"

"Oh yes, I remember you broke nearly all my limbs."

"Yeah… I felt better afterwards though," Shadow said.

"I didn't. You're lucky I healed fast and I was willing to train you. Now…. Think about that man again... What would you do if you saw him right now…?"

Shadow stared at the ground for a moment before he clinched his fist and sighed, "Nothing I guess…"

"Better. There will be a time and place where you can hurt him. But if he's not attacking you... Then there is no need. Understand?" Master asked.

"Yes Master…"

Shadow sighed, it was going to be a long thousand years before getting home, and he knew it was going to only get more rough from here.

Dark was laying on the couch being badgered at by Luna after drawing a dick on his brother's face. It was just a harmless prank but Luna didn't take too kindly to it. Though she did laugh at first. That was a plus.

Dark had gotten a lot better with his drinking problem since adopting Bella. He hasn't really drunk other than the occasional night where David and him snuck out the house to drink and came home in a happy drunk mood because they saw a game.

"I can't believe you would do something like that Dark!"

"It was a brother prank Luna. And it was washable maker. I don't have any permanent around the castle that I can find."

"Still! Why?"

Dark rolled over and chuckled a bit, "Cause he put pink dye in my shampoo. It's a prank war Luna. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh really?"

"Really and truly."

"Hmph." Luna pouted and her horn glowed.

The couch suddenly flipped over, causing Dark to fall off it. He let out a yell of shock and rolled over to make sure he didn't hurt himself.

But then he saw Luna smiling. He couldn't help but to smile back.

"I'll get you back for that," He said.

"Maybe. But not today," Luna smirked and walked away.

Dark stood and dusted himself off. He heard the door open and looked to see Bella come into the castle.

"Bella! You made it! Though the dick has been washed off David's face. Im glad your home!" He said and went over to Bella.

They gave eachother a hug, always a tight hug before Dark messed up Bella's hair.

"Papaaa!"

"I can mess up your hair. I'm your father. Anyways, there's gonna be dinner tomorrow with the family," Dark said.

"Even big brother Biohazard?" Bella asked.

"If he's gonna show up. Yeah."

"Okay. Let's hope it doesn't turn out bad…"

"You never know with those three boys," Dark sighed before turning and walking away, his shoulders slumped a bit, and Bella knew her father was worried.

That night at dinner, Dark was pacing in the waiting room listening for a knock on the door. Amy watched him, knowing he must be stressing out.

"Honey… They will show up… Okay...? There's no need to worry…" She said.

"You know I always worry. I can't fix what I did to them while they were growing up, and every time they come over I have no clue how they will act. I'm just worried they won't accept that I have fully changed."

"We'll see alright?" Amy smiled.

Dark heard a knock on the door and instantly ran over. He opened it to see Shadic and Randal standing there, Randal wearing a heavy coat and Shadic just sitting there without a shirt on or a jacket.

"Brrr It's cold!" Randal shivered.

"Shadic...? Why don't you hav- oh yeah it's your body heat season."

"Yeah. Getting close to the anniversary of me turning to a pureblood. My body temperature is off the charts. Randal almost killed me trying to get warm," Shadic chuckled.

"You're a walking furnace!" Randal exclaimed.

Dark couldn't help but to chuckle, "Come on in you two. I'll get a fire started."

The twins walked in, as always Amy mistook them by thinking they were the other twin before she remembered that Shadic had all the scars on his body.

Though she didn't get a chance to apologize as Shadic was suddenly tackled down.

"AHH!" He yelped.

"HI BIG BROTHER!" Bonnie yelled joyfully.

"YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A PANIC ATTACK!" Shadic yelled back but he grinned to show he was not mad at the little girl.

Bonnie just giggled and laid her small body on Shadic's back, then she was curious of why his body was hot to the touch.

"Brother are you sick?" Bonnie asked.

"No. All pure bloods have a time where their body overheats like this. Mine is in the winter," Shadic explained.

"Oh okay. Does Randal have that too?"

"No, sadly," Randal said while he hung up his coat, "I have a time where my body is freezing cold in the summer. Because I bit Shadic around that time to turn into a dumpire."

"Why did you bite big brother?" Bonnie asked.

"He was losing a lot of blood from a gunshot. It was the only thing I could think of," Shadic said, then he moved his hair away from his neck to show a bite mark on there, "Heck I still have the bite mark."

"Sorry." Randal grinned nervously.

Shadic rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit.

"Alright Bonnie. Get off. You're getting fat." He joked.

"I am not!" Bonnie exclaimed but got off Shadic.

Shadic chuckled a bit and stood up before dusting off his front from dust on the floor.

"Did you boys happen to see Biohazard?" Dark asked nervously.

"No. But if he doesn't get here soon he's gonna be stuck in blizzard…" Randal murmured.

Just then there was a loud knock on the door. The men jumped in fright at the sound and Bonnie let out a squeak of fear.

The knock was heard again. The men huddled closer together. One more knock, they all flinched. Bonnie got the courage to check the door.

She opened it and she saw a man covered in about three layers of coats and jackets, he had a scarf over his muzzle. He was also covered in snow. He took a step into the house and Bonnie backed up.

It took him a moment before he reached up and removed the stiff scarf from his muzzle and spoke.

"Why do you look so scared Bonnie? It's your brother. Biohazard." The man said.

"B-bio?"

"There's a blizzard out there… Looks like we're gonna be snowed in a few days…" Biohazard sighed as he stripped down the layers of coats and pants till he was only in his normal clothes.

"Biohazard!" Two voices yelled in unison.

Biohazard was then tackled down by two gray bodies and let out a yell of surprise. But then he realized it was just his younger brothers. With a chuckle he got them off and gave them both a hug.

"Hey boys. How ya been?" He asked.

"Panic attacks have gotten down to once or twice a month." Shadic informed.

"Still caring for Anthony." Randal smiled.

"That's good you two. I'm glad." Biohazard said.

Dark came in with a nervous smile, "Dinner is ready.. I made it all myself too.."

Shadic and Randal glanced to Dark and instantly their attitudes towards their father seemed to change from unminding to hate in an instant.

"It's not laced with poison?" Shadic snarled.

"W-what? No!" Dark exclaimed.

"Hmph. I don't believe you." Randal hissed.

"Randal you know just as well as I do I would never poison you guys!" Dark said.

"Pft. Yeah right. How about you eat a bite first and if you don't die in five minutes we'll eat." Randal snarled.

Biohazard looked to the twins with worry then glanced to Dark. He had long forgiven his father for kicking him out, he had even met with Dark in private to discuss it. And they had forgiven each other then.

Dark looked defeated, but he sighed and went to the dining room to wait for the boys. Bonnie looked at Shadic and Randal before she ran after her father to keep him happy the best she could.

Once she left Biohazard spun the twins to where they faced him and he growled.

"Listen, Alex, Randal, Dad and I are on good terms now. I suggest you behave yourselves."

"Psh. Fuck no," Shadic growled, "I'm not behaving around that bastard."

"ALEX!"

"I WILL NOT BEHAVE WITH THAT WHORE!" Shadic yelled.

Biohazard lost it, "FATHER IS NOT A WHORE ALEX 'SHADIC' THE WOLF. YOU ARE!"

Shadic's eyes widened in surprise for a second before his face hardened and he growled, "I haven't slept with anyone since Margo died. I haven't had sex in over a thousand years," He started.

"I know I was the school whore in Highschool… I know I'm probably the only vampire in this world that has an overactive sex drive… But no matter what.. I don't care about that… What I care about is that our father is not gonna change…"

"He has changed Alex." Biohazard said.

Shadic lost his temper just then. He pushed his brother away and stomped to the door, he instantly threw it open and a gust of cold air blasted into the house, putting out the fire that had been started in the fireplace.

"ALEX!" Biohazard yelled.

Randal flinched away at the cold wind, Dark came running in, having felt a chill under the door while making the plates for the dinner.

"I'M NOT STAYING HERE!" Shadic yelled.

"Shadic…!" Randal said, he was already shivering with cold, he didn't have as much tolerance to the cold as his family did, his defect from birth was that his body had no tolerance to anything lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

"YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE RANDAL." Shadic said and he turned and started to walk out the door.

"Sha….dic…." Randal whimpered before he felt his body start to shut down. His legs gave out from under him and he started to fall.

"RANDAL!" Biohazard exclaimed as he caught his brother in his arms.

Shadic froze in mid-step. His connection to Randal with feeling everything his brother felt made him feel his brother growing weaker. He instantly turned to his family.

"RANDY!" It was the last thing Randal heard before he blacked out.

"C'mon Talon! Try harder!"

"Dad I can't do this, it's...it's too hard…! I'm just a kid!"

"I had to train hard at your age too, and I know it's hard, but you have to keep pushing forward. This is important Talon!"

"I don't understand, why can't you just tell me?"

"It's not time yet. I'll tell you when it is."

"How long will it take?!"

"...Until you make the Earth shake with your very power."

Talon growled at what was now a bitter memory. He gave up training once his father left, despite him asking him to train with his uncle.

What was so important anyways? he thought. But he shrugged, supposing he would never know.

"Talon!"

Talon looked up, hearing a familiar voice call his name, "Bella?"

He was correct, but it wasn't just her. He noticed a ragged dark blue wolf with long bangs and hair. Her dark green eyes were tainted with shadows and bags. She looked like a bored child doing homework.

But her long torn dress was what confused him the most. The sleeves hid her knuckles just slightly. Bella looked distressed, as if she had seen a ghost herself.

"Bells, what's going on? Who is this?" he asked urgently.

"Daddy told me about his old farm house, so I went to go explore. But I heard crying and there were these big rocks blocking off a cellar. When I opened it I found her!"

"And she is…?"

"Magnolia T. Wolf. I am the first born of Nightshade T. Wolf."

"What?!" Talon exclaimed.

"I couldn't believe it either! But she looks so similar to Papa! I don't know what to do..!"

"Well… Uh… Let's take her to Biohazard. I think he's back to his house after the incident with Randal. How is he by the way?"

"He woke up yesterday, I told you that. He was only in a week long coma. You don't know how bad Shadic regretted what he did. Now come on, I think I know where brother lives." Bella said.

They trudged through the snow with the girl, occasionally asking questions about her which they got no real answer to, but they still kept the mood light despite her dark presence.

Eventually they made it to the edge of the Blackmist Forest. Talon gulped with Bella, they didn't know what was out there.

"Well.. Um… Ladies first?" Talon said with a nervous grin.

"O-oh no! You go first to protect us Talon!" Bella exclaimed.

Talon sighed but he knew Bella was right. She couldn't fight and it looked like Magnolia wasn't going to be any help either. So Talon walked into the dead forest.

When they walked in they instantly felt their immortality fade away from their bodies. This was permanent till they got back to their side outside this forest.

Talon continued to walk, jumping at every little noise and doing the best to make it look like he wasn't scared.

They didn't get far into the forest before they heard a loud growl in the darkness. Talon instantly put his arms in front of the girls behind him to make them stop as his ears perked to find the sound.

"T-Talon…?" Bella said.

"Sh." Talon ordered.

Another growl was heard, this time it sounded just feet away. Talon only had enough time to yell at the girls to stay back before he was tackled down by what looked like a giant saber toothed bear.

The bear let out a roar of rage and clawed Talon on his chest. He let out a scream of pain before he shoved the bear off him. He already knew the wounds went deep enough to where he was beginning to lose a lot of blood, but adrenaline kept him going.

Talon dived at the bear but he was kicked away by a larger built man. With a heavy thud Talon landed on the ground and remained there as he bled on the ground.

It seemed to take him a long time to look to see that it was Biohazard that had kicked him away. Biohazard had a rope on him and a knife and he was glaring at the bear.

"GET BACK!" Biohazard yelled.

The bear let out a roar and swiped at him, but Biohazard dodged the swipe. He then grabbed the rope and somehow jumped onto the bear's back.

The bear let out another roar and Biohazard swung some of the rope into the bear's mouth, making it like some sort of lasso.

The bear reared on it's hind legs and shook its head as it tried to remove Biohazard.

"COME ON YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!" Biohazard screamed.

The bear let out a roar again and Biohazard got the knife out of his holster before he spun it in his hand and stabbed the bear dead in the neck.

The bear's roar was cut short and it stayed on it's hind legs for a moment before collapsing onto it's back, right on top of Biohazard.

At this time Talon was unconscious from blood loss. Bella ran over to him while Magnolia went over to the bear. There was no movement for a moment before there was a shift from the bear.

It continued to shift before Biohazard put his head out from under the bear and gasped for air.

"Gah, fuck. Bessie got big." Biohazard growled.

Then he noticed Magnolia. He just stared at her for a second before he shook his head and struggled a moment before he got out from under the bear.

"Biohazard! Help me with Talon!" Bella shrieked. She had her hands pressed against Talon's chest to try and stop the bleeding but had no luck.

"Relax Bella. I got a few herbs on hand all the time to heal him up." Biohazard said as he pulled herbs out of his pockets that looked almost as dead as the forest.

"What are those?!" Bella asked.

"Herbs that can only heal wounds made here. Now he's probably gonna wake up and scream. Hold him down. It will heal his wounds if he remains still." Biohazard said as he crushed the leaves in his hands.

"It's gonna hurt him?"

"What do you think? This hurts like a bitch." Biohazard said as he knelt down to Talon's unconscious body.

He pressed the crushed up leaves against the wounds on Talon. Talon's eyes snapped open and he tried to jerk upwards with a scream of pain but Bella held him down with all her strength.

"Ta-Talon! Talon! Calm down! It's gonna be okay! He's helping you!" Bella said.

Talon struggled for a few minutes before he passed out from pain. Biohazard finished spreading the crushed herbs on Talon's wounds for a few moments before he removed his hands.

"There. That should help. Let's take him to my house. It'll be easier to care for him there. Though you and the stranger are gonna have to carry him. I wanna carry the bear for dinner." Biohazard said.

Bella nodded a bit and looked to Magnolia. The girl went over and picked up Talon's legs, and Bella lifted his torso. Biohazard went to the bear and tied up it's body before he began to drag it while the girls carried the unconscious boy.

During this entire time, from when Shadic was released from his merged soul with Jeff, Andy had been with Margo. They had stayed close together since then, mostly because Andy was always the type to cuddle in the middle of the day.

He was leaning on Margo, letting his head rest on her chest while he listened to her heart beat and she gently brushed his bangs to the side of his face.

"Andy..?" Margo asked.

"Yes hon?" Andy looked up to Margo, he seemed tired, he hadn't slept in a few days.

"What if I told you I wanted a baby…?" She asked gently.

Andy stayed quiet for a minute, a bit confused, but then he remembered that Margo had had cravings for the past few days and her breasts have also been a bit sore.

"Are you pregnant?" Andy asked.

"Y-yes.." Margo blushed and looked away.

Andy sat up and made Margo look at him. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he gave her a kiss. Her blush deepened as her eyes closed and she stayed in the kiss with Andy.

They broke the kiss after a few moments. Andy looked to Margo and smiled.

"I would love a baby with you. I've been thinking about having one for a while… But I was scared to ask because I was afraid you would think I was pressuring you to have one…" Andy said.

"You wouldn't have been pressuring me sweetie…" Margo smiled.

Andy chuckled and tears appeared in his eyes. He was crying happy tears. Margo sat up and hugged him gently, kissing his head.

"I'm glad we're gonna have a kid together." Andy sniffled.

"I'm glad too.." Margo smiled and wiped away Andy's tears. Andy hugged her tightly with a childish grin on his face.

"I love you Margo.."

"I love you too Andy.."

Talon gasped awake and sat up, he didn't have a shirt on and he had bandages wrapped around his chest. It took him a moment to remember that he was attacked.

"Wha.. Where…?" He looked around, not recognizing the inside of the house he was in.

"Wait… What are you talking about..?" A deep voice said in a different room.

Talon's ears perked and he slowly got off the couch, feeling a bit light headed from his lack of blood, but he slowly made his way to where the voice came from.

"I… I don't understand… How… Why..?" It was Biohazards' voice.

"It's true Bio. This is your older sister." Bella's voice sounded.

"I… I don't want to believe this… I can't believe this! I'm the older sibling! How can this be?!"

"Because our father is cruel." The voice of the strange girl sounded.

"No. No he's changed! He-"

"He took me away from you because he thought I was different. He shoved me in the basement of our house because I was only playing with you."

"No… No I can't believe this. I… I don't understand this."

Magnolia moved one side of her shirt to reveal a type of birthmark on her, it was shaped like a small heart. Biohazard had the same one on the small of his back.

"Wha…. It…. You have the same birthmark as me and my twin brothers… Though we all have it on different spots…"

"See..? I'm your older sister. Magnolia. Some people call me Maggie...but just call me Obsidian…" She said.

Talon watched from a crack in the door as Biohazard embraced Maggie in a hug. Then Talon felt lightheaded as he fell to his side with a heavy thud.

Bella instantly came in and saw him on the floor. She instantly helped him up and took him back to the couch.

"Uggghh… Remind me not to fight a bear…" Talon groaned.

"Yeah… I think once you're healed up a bit I'll take you home. But for now I want you to stay with Bio for a few weeks. Alright?"

"So long as you come visit me." Talon said.

"I promise. And I'll even have Randal come to protect me."

Talon was starting to get sleepy now, "Good, I wouldn't want a pretty girl like you hurt…"

"You think I'm pretty?" Bella asked.

"Of… Course…" Talon murmured before he finally fell asleep again.

Amy was finally back in her small cottage, stirring substance in her glowing cauldron. She giggled, but also felt incredibly guilty doing so.

"Sorry Nightshade...I do love you...but this is something I need to do…" she said sadly, putting a white glowing emerald down on the countertop beside her.

The substance turned a bright pink, then slowly became orange. This perplexed Amy, "Hmm...that's strange...I didn't put any dna in it yet…"

Without warning, something blew out and smoke filled the room. Amy noticed that the sound of boiling had suddenly willowed away, replaced by the cries of a baby.

She gasped and grinned, waving away the smoke to reveal a newborn baby girl. She had crispy brown fur and bright orange hair. A wolf too, Amy was even more surprised.

She picked up the crying child, and began cradling it gently. "Hmm...what to call you...how about...Krystel…?"

The baby's tears subsided and she sniffled. She then looked to Amy and giggled. Amy smiled at the child and kissed her head, glad she now had a child to care for.

I told you it was a bad idea, Talon read on a piece of paper. He was holding his tongue over a cup since he got it split down the middle a bit and was bleeding pretty badly.

"Buck you Bunp!" Talon spoke with his tongue out, flinching in pain from it. Punt just stared at him with a mad expression before he wrote something else.

What will that girl think that you've been flirting with? The paper read.

Talon let out a groan of annoyance and crossed his eyes to look down at his cup. Half empty, half full, he couldn't tell really. Just he was amazed at how much he was bleeding.

"It's normal." The man that had sliced Talon's tongue said, as if he was reading Talons' mind.

"Wem cam we be doe?" Talon asked.

"In another five minutes for your tongue to stop bleeding. Why did you even want this?"

"I baw ib on T.B."

"Ah. I see."

Talon looked to see Punt was holding another piece of paper in front of him.

I'm not gonna allow you to continue this. This is the last body modification I'll help you pay for. The paper read.

Talon just flipped off his friend, he was in too much pain to complain. After the five minutes were up, Talon and Punt left the parlor that they went to. Punt then bought some ibuprofen for Talon and crushed it up so his friend could take it without using his tongue very much.

Talon stayed out of school for a month while his tongue healed, Punt always brought him his homework and occasionally the tests as well but made sure Talon couldn't cheat while he took them.

"Thish ish weird.." Talon said the best he could with his new tongue. He took a breath in frustration and tried again, this time taking it slower.

"Thish ish weird…. Thisshhh… Ishh… Weird… Thiiissss…. Issss.. FINALLY! I CAN SSSSPEAK!" Talon yelled and did a little dance in his chair.

Punt just stared at him. Then he just flat out smacked Talon.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

Punt pointed at a piece of paper that he had wrote something on.

"'Bella wanted to know where you were. She's been worried about you since you haven't been at school.'" Talon read aloud, "Did you tell her what I did?"

Punt shook his head no.

"Invite her over tomorrow. I won't be going back till next monday anyways." Talon said.

Punt sighed and stood with a faint smirk on his lips and shook his head. He wrote on the paper again.

See you. It read. Talon nodded and said his goodbyes to Punt.

Talon stood at the door and waved at his friend while he walked away, "Byyyyyyyyyeeeeeee…" He said.

As soon as Punt was out of sight Talon slammed the door and began to dance in place, once again happy that he could now speak properly with his tongue again.

The next day Punt came in with Bella, it had been years since she was adopted from Dark and she had grown into a fine teenage girl. She was very polite and never got into fights unlike Talon, and she also took flute lessons.

When she got into the house with Punt, she saw Talon on the couch dead asleep with a R-rated magazine lying on his face. Punt look frustrated at the sight.

Punt walked over to the sleeping body and yanked off the magazine. Talon snorted awake and sit up a bit.

"Whazzat? Wha? I didn't steal a car…!" Talon said sleepily.

Punt just pointed to Bella, and Talon tilted his head back to see her.

"Oh heyyyy Bella. How ya been?"

"... I didn't know you wore superman underwear." Bella said pointedly.

Talon looked confused for a second before he looked and saw he was indeed only in his underwear, with a yelp he dived off the couch and ran up his steps to his room.

"PUNT WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!" Talon yelled from his room.

Punt just looked to Bella with a stressed expression, Bella giggled at him.

"I just did! But don't worry. I plan on being a nurse when I'm able to. I'm sure I'm gonna have to get used to far worse." She said.

Talon soon came down in clothes, and of course his jacket. He stuck his tongue out teasingly and Bella frowned.

"Come on Talon, really?"

Talon soon realised what she was talking about and put his tongue back in his mouth, "Aw c'mon Bell, you know how I am!"

"Yes, I do. And I also know how you used to be. Those things are so...so…"

"Different than what I was when we we're kids…?" Talon frowned.

"Well. Yeah… I miss that Talon. You used to be a good kid," Bella said.

"Yeah. Used to be. Then I lost my father. The damn bastard left me," Talon scowled at the ground.

"Talon..." Bella started.

"No. I don't want pity Bella. He left me, I changed, what's done is done. And nothing can change who I am now."

"He left for a reason Talon! He didn't do it to just-"

"BELLA JUST DROP IT!" Talon yelled. Bella snapped her jaw closed in surprise at Talon's rage, but then she realized tears were in his eyes.

"That fucker left because he couldn't care for me. He left because Ma died. He didn't want to see my face because I reminded him so much of my mother. Just…. Drop it. Alright?" Talon said.

"Talon…" Bella started, but Punt put his hand up to tell her to be quiet for a second.

Punt walked up to Talon and stood right in front of him, looking his friend dead in the eyes. Talon stared back for a second before he started to break down.

Punt gave Talon a hug and the teen gripped his friend's shirt as he began to sob uncontrollably while also feeling pathetic for crying in front of a girl.

"Why…? Why doesn't he care…?! We used to be close, but when ma died he tossed me aside like trash…! What's wrong with me…?!"

Punt just shook his head, seeing his friend like this reminded him of before he used to live on his own.

The only one he ever really told was Talon, which was the only reason he had no problem with his friend's constant silence.

"Mummy…? It's so cold…"

"I know love, but trust me, it ain't any worse than your da and I's first home. Had to give up your poor sister it was so harsh."

"Why does da act so funny after drinking that stuff from those glass bottles?"

"It's called alcohol love, and it'll tear you apart if you aren't careful."

"That sounds awful!"

"Yes, but enough chatter, it's late. Come cuddle up love, it'll keep us both warmer."

"Okay…Wait...what's that noise…? It's so loud…! Oh god mummy it hurts…!"

"Wait a minute...that sounds like…..AAAHHH!"

"Mummy!"

Punt shook his head, he didn't want to think about it. Talon was still sobbing on his chest and he could feel that it was soaked from where his friend was crying so much.

"Why…?" Talon whimpered.

Punt sighed and shrugged a bit, unsure of how to answer. Eventually Talons' tears subsided and he then fainted from exhaustion. Punt looked to Bella, she just smiled gently and went over to the boys.

Both Punt and Bella picked Talon up and moved him to the couch, Bella managed to get Talon's jacket off so he wouldn't overheat while asleep and then she went over to Punt.

"We should do something for him," She said.

Punt looked at her with a confused expression at first. Bella then giggled.

"He's gonna need a friend to care for him. How about we make him dinner?" She suggested.

Punt stared at Bella with a look of horror.

"What? You never cooked?"

Punt shook his head no.

"Then what do you eat? Ugh. Nevermind. Into the kitchen with you." She said and grabbed her friend's' soaked shirt.

She dragged him into the kitchen and she began to teach him what she knew about cooking.

Talon woke up about an hour later smelling cooked meat. His stomach growled and his mouth water with temptation. He sat up and looked to see Punt in an apron in his kitchen.

"What….?" Talon questioned.

Then he saw Bella go over to Punt also wearing an apron and holding a steaming plate of something. Talon watched them and couldn't help but to smile at them, glad that they had stayed by his side for so many years.

"Morning sunshine. We cooked you up some dinner while you were napping." 

"Wait, Punt I thought you said you don't cook."

Punt shook his head, and held up a cookbook.

"Oh. Huh. Anyways, what'd you guys come over for in the first place anyways?" 

Bella smiled, "Well I thought I'd tell you that my father would like to meet you. He seemed really interested when I told him you were- er...n-nevermind."

"No it's okay Bell, I'm over it now."

"If you say so. Look I know you don't think he's a great guy, but he didn't have to adopt me when I was all alone. But he did. And he takes good care of me and my sisters."

"Well...I...I just...didn't want to believe it after everything ma had told me."

"And I understand completely, but he's a changed man. You'll see."

"If you say so Bell."

"Oh, and by the way, happy seventeen thousand and first birthday."

"Aw shucks, thanks Bell."

"Sooo, what does the birthday boy wanna do today?"

"I dunno, what'd we do last year?"

"You broke into your father's wine cabinet in the basement and crashed his motorcycle. Which Punt and I had to pay for by the way!" she said, annoyed.

"Heh heh, yeah. Sorry about that."

Punt raised a brow, and as if Talon could read his mind said, "Don't worry I'm not gonna drink again! Well...not till I'm twenty-one thousand. Then I'm gonna get tanked."

"Oh no you won't! Not while I'm around!"

"Aw c'mon Bell, it's delicious!"

"And dangerous! Don't you remember what happened?!"

"Woo hoo! I'm a free birdy! Look at mah wings!"

"Talon sit down on that thing! You're gonna get yourself killed like that!"

"Pft, as if! Vampires don't die from natural causes like them pussy mortals!" 

"No, but you'll fall into some spiky ass wood maybe."

"C'mon Bells where's your sense of adventure?!"

"About three hours into the past when I thought it was a good idea to let you do this."

"Hey! I see a big ol' totem pole! Make a wish!"

"That makes no sen- ...Talon LOOK OUT!"

Talon looked ahead and let out a yell of surprise as he saw a tree right ahead of him. He slammed on the breaks of the motorcycle and it veered to the side as he tried to skid to a halt, but he wasn't fast enough.

The bike crashed into the tree and Talon went with it. He felt a crack in his arm and he hit his head on the trunk of the tree. He felt another crack in his leg and let out a yell of pain.

Bella came running to him, worried he might of killed himself, but Talon was still alive and conscious amazingly.

"Woooaaahhhh…." Talon said with his eyes wide, "Let's do that again!" Then he passed out.

"Yes I remember…" Talon sighed.

"And you won't do it again now will you?" Bella said.

"No…well maybe..."

Bella sighed, "Talon...What am I gonna do with you?" She asked.

"Don't punch me in the crotch like you did when I woke up from that thing. That hurt!"

"I'll do it if I have to!"

Punt was just watching them with a plate in his hands looking a bit lost at what to do. But he couldn't help but to note that there was a hint of love in both of the teens voices.

Bella felt a vibration in her pocket and reached into it. She pulled out her phone and looked to see a text from her adopted father.

Hurry and get home I'm about to draw a dick on David's' face. NO ONE CAN STOP ME! She read.

With a chuckle she put her phone back into her pocket and took off the apron.

"I gotta go before Papa makes grandma Luna mad. But I might come back later, if not I'll see you tomorrow at school Talon."

"Is today Sunday?"

"Yeah."

"In that case, yeah I'll be there. It's time I go back anyways. I'm starting to develop cabin fever." Talon smiled.

Bella smiled back and left the house. Punt instantly sat down next to Talon and smiled slyly at him with the plate in his hands.

"What?"

Punt made some kissy noises.

"NO I DON'T!" Talon yelped and his face turned red with embarrassment.

Punt chuckled and handed Talon the plate before going back into the kitchen to make his own plate. Talon pouted a bit as he took a bite out of the meat, but instantly perked at the taste before starting to devour the meal.

Ten thousand four hundred and seventy five days… Shadow thought. He always counted each day how long it had been, while simultaneously thinking about how many more days it would be.

He looked up, "I hope this was really the right thing to do. But will it have mattered when I return…? Would he have forgotten me…?"

He sighed, "I guess I'm just doomed to a life of misery. What did I ever do…? I never asked for this shit."

He sighed once more as the wind picked up. His ears flicked up, "Wait a minute...what the hell is that? And why does it feel so...familiar…?"

Shadow… A voice whispered.

"Terrisa?!" Shadow yelled.

Hurry...

"Terrisa?! Where are you?!" Shadow yelled and started to run after the voice, but he felt something grab his ankle and he fell.

"OOF!" He yelped and looked back to see the person he had been training with the past few years.

He had come to know him as "Master", since he seemed to have no other name.

He crossed his arms, seeming perplexed, "The hell are you doing?"

"Um...just...resting Master." 

"Right…anyways, it's time again. Come along now, we're not done yet."

"R-Right," Shadow replied, getting up and dusting himself off. He looked back I wonder what the hell happened there...probably just my imagination…

He followed after his master, only stopping once they had reached a small pond, "Never seen this before."

"Of course you haven't. It's hard to find."

"Then how did you find it?"

"...Let's begin, now sit."

Shadow sat on a small boulder, sighing.

"Now, this is going to get touchy today. I want you to think about your wife Shadow."

Shadow swallowed his temptation to chew him out, and took a deep breath, "Y-Yes...okay…"

"Think about how much that makes you angry. What you would love to do to that man that murdered her."

Shadow began shaking, and found it hard to control his powers. An spear made from energy even spawned without his control.

It nearly hit his master, but he managed to dodge it.

"Good. Now think about why your anger has ruined you."

Shadow began visibly twitching, trying hard to control himself, but found it near impossible.

"...Why are you here…?"

"I want to get rid of this anger...so that my son is safe from my wrath…"

"And would your wife want you sulking right now? Want you to be unable to control your emotions?"

"...No…"

"Then what are you going to do about it?"

Shadow suddenly fell onto his hands and knees and screamed out in rage and pain as a red aura surrounded him.

"C'mon Shadow! You need to learn to control your rage! Just think about what could happen if you don't!"

Shadow growled, but the aura began to dissipate and he calmed. He coughed, and breathed heavily having used up nearly all his energy towards controlling himself.

"Shit...so close…!"

"Yes, indeed you are. You've improved since day one."

"You mean when I handed your ass to you?"

"Oh yes, I remember you broke nearly all my limbs."

"Yeah… I felt better afterwards though," Shadow said.

"I didn't. You're lucky I healed fast and I was willing to train you. Now…. Think about that man again... What would you do if you saw him right now…?"

Shadow stared at the ground for a moment before he clinched his fist and sighed, "Nothing I guess…"

"Better. There will be a time and place where you can hurt him. But if he's not attacking you... Then there is no need. Understand?" Master asked.

"Yes Master…"

Shadow sighed, it was going to be a long thousand years before getting home, and he knew it was going to only get more rough from here.

Dark was laying on the couch being badgered at by Luna after drawing a dick on his brother's face. It was just a harmless prank but Luna didn't take too kindly to it. Though she did laugh at first. That was a plus.

Dark had gotten a lot better with his drinking problem since adopting Bella. He hasn't really drunk other than the occasional night where David and him snuck out the house to drink and came home in a happy drunk mood because they saw a game.

"I can't believe you would do something like that Dark!"

"It was a brother prank Luna. And it was washable maker. I don't have any permanent around the castle that I can find."

"Still! Why?"

Dark rolled over and chuckled a bit, "Cause he put pink dye in my shampoo. It's a prank war Luna. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh really?"

"Really and truly."

"Hmph." Luna pouted and her horn glowed.

The couch suddenly flipped over, causing Dark to fall off it. He let out a yell of shock and rolled over to make sure he didn't hurt himself.

But then he saw Luna smiling. He couldn't help but to smile back.

"I'll get you back for that," He said.

"Maybe. But not today," Luna smirked and walked away.

Dark stood and dusted himself off. He heard the door open and looked to see Bella come into the castle.

"Bella! You made it! Though the dick has been washed off David's face. Im glad your home!" He said and went over to Bella.

They gave eachother a hug, always a tight hug before Dark messed up Bella's hair.

"Papaaa!"

"I can mess up your hair. I'm your father. Anyways, there's gonna be dinner tomorrow with the family," Dark said.

"Even big brother Biohazard?" Bella asked.

"If he's gonna show up. Yeah."

"Okay. Let's hope it doesn't turn out bad…"

"You never know with those three boys," Dark sighed before turning and walking away, his shoulders slumped a bit, and Bella knew her father was worried.

That night at dinner, Dark was pacing in the waiting room listening for a knock on the door. Amy watched him, knowing he must be stressing out.

"Honey… They will show up… Okay...? There's no need to worry…" She said.

"You know I always worry. I can't fix what I did to them while they were growing up, and every time they come over I have no clue how they will act. I'm just worried they won't accept that I have fully changed."

"We'll see alright?" Amy smiled.

Dark heard a knock on the door and instantly ran over. He opened it to see Shadic and Randal standing there, Randal wearing a heavy coat and Shadic just sitting there without a shirt on or a jacket.

"Brrr It's cold!" Randal shivered.

"Shadic...? Why don't you hav- oh yeah it's your body heat season."

"Yeah. Getting close to the anniversary of me turning to a pureblood. My body temperature is off the charts. Randal almost killed me trying to get warm," Shadic chuckled.

"You're a walking furnace!" Randal exclaimed.

Dark couldn't help but to chuckle, "Come on in you two. I'll get a fire started."

The twins walked in, as always Amy mistook them by thinking they were the other twin before she remembered that Shadic had all the scars on his body.

Though she didn't get a chance to apologize as Shadic was suddenly tackled down.

"AHH!" He yelped.

"HI BIG BROTHER!" Bonnie yelled joyfully.

"YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A PANIC ATTACK!" Shadic yelled back but he grinned to show he was not mad at the little girl.

Bonnie just giggled and laid her small body on Shadic's back, then she was curious of why his body was hot to the touch.

"Brother are you sick?" Bonnie asked.

"No. All pure bloods have a time where their body overheats like this. Mine is in the winter," Shadic explained.

"Oh okay. Does Randal have that too?"

"No, sadly," Randal said while he hung up his coat, "I have a time where my body is freezing cold in the summer. Because I bit Shadic around that time to turn into a dumpire."

"Why did you bite big brother?" Bonnie asked.

"He was losing a lot of blood from a gunshot. It was the only thing I could think of," Shadic said, then he moved his hair away from his neck to show a bite mark on there, "Heck I still have the bite mark."

"Sorry." Randal grinned nervously.

Shadic rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit.

"Alright Bonnie. Get off. You're getting fat." He joked.

"I am not!" Bonnie exclaimed but got off Shadic.

Shadic chuckled a bit and stood up before dusting off his front from dust on the floor.

"Did you boys happen to see Biohazard?" Dark asked nervously.

"No. But if he doesn't get here soon he's gonna be stuck in blizzard…" Randal murmured.

Just then there was a loud knock on the door. The men jumped in fright at the sound and Bonnie let out a squeak of fear.

The knock was heard again. The men huddled closer together. One more knock, they all flinched. Bonnie got the courage to check the door.

She opened it and she saw a man covered in about three layers of coats and jackets, he had a scarf over his muzzle. He was also covered in snow. He took a step into the house and Bonnie backed up.

It took him a moment before he reached up and removed the stiff scarf from his muzzle and spoke.

"Why do you look so scared Bonnie? It's your brother. Biohazard." The man said.

"B-bio?"

"There's a blizzard out there… Looks like we're gonna be snowed in a few days…" Biohazard sighed as he stripped down the layers of coats and pants till he was only in his normal clothes.

"Biohazard!" Two voices yelled in unison.

Biohazard was then tackled down by two gray bodies and let out a yell of surprise. But then he realized it was just his younger brothers. With a chuckle he got them off and gave them both a hug.

"Hey boys. How ya been?" He asked.

"Panic attacks have gotten down to once or twice a month." Shadic informed.

"Still caring for Anthony." Randal smiled.

"That's good you two. I'm glad." Biohazard said.

Dark came in with a nervous smile, "Dinner is ready.. I made it all myself too.."

Shadic and Randal glanced to Dark and instantly their attitudes towards their father seemed to change from unminding to hate in an instant.

"It's not laced with poison?" Shadic snarled.

"W-what? No!" Dark exclaimed.

"Hmph. I don't believe you." Randal hissed.

"Randal you know just as well as I do I would never poison you guys!" Dark said.

"Pft. Yeah right. How about you eat a bite first and if you don't die in five minutes we'll eat." Randal snarled.

Biohazard looked to the twins with worry then glanced to Dark. He had long forgiven his father for kicking him out, he had even met with Dark in private to discuss it. And they had forgiven each other then.

Dark looked defeated, but he sighed and went to the dining room to wait for the boys. Bonnie looked at Shadic and Randal before she ran after her father to keep him happy the best she could.

Once she left Biohazard spun the twins to where they faced him and he growled.

"Listen, Alex, Randal, Dad and I are on good terms now. I suggest you behave yourselves."

"Psh. Fuck no," Shadic growled, "I'm not behaving around that bastard."

"ALEX!"

"I WILL NOT BEHAVE WITH THAT WHORE!" Shadic yelled.

Biohazard lost it, "FATHER IS NOT A WHORE ALEX 'SHADIC' THE WOLF. YOU ARE!"

Shadic's eyes widened in surprise for a second before his face hardened and he growled, "I haven't slept with anyone since Margo died. I haven't had sex in over a thousand years," He started.

"I know I was the school whore in Highschool… I know I'm probably the only vampire in this world that has an overactive sex drive… But no matter what.. I don't care about that… What I care about is that our father is not gonna change…"

"He has changed Alex." Biohazard said.

Shadic lost his temper just then. He pushed his brother away and stomped to the door, he instantly threw it open and a gust of cold air blasted into the house, putting out the fire that had been started in the fireplace.

"ALEX!" Biohazard yelled.

Randal flinched away at the cold wind, Dark came running in, having felt a chill under the door while making the plates for the dinner.

"I'M NOT STAYING HERE!" Shadic yelled.

"Shadic…!" Randal said, he was already shivering with cold, he didn't have as much tolerance to the cold as his family did, his defect from birth was that his body had no tolerance to anything lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

"YOU CAN'T CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE RANDAL." Shadic said and he turned and started to walk out the door.

"Sha….dic…." Randal whimpered before he felt his body start to shut down. His legs gave out from under him and he started to fall.

"RANDAL!" Biohazard exclaimed as he caught his brother in his arms.

Shadic froze in mid-step. His connection to Randal with feeling everything his brother felt made him feel his brother growing weaker. He instantly turned to his family.

"RANDY!" It was the last thing Randal heard before he blacked out.

"C'mon Talon! Try harder!"

"Dad I can't do this, it's...it's too hard…! I'm just a kid!"

"I had to train hard at your age too, and I know it's hard, but you have to keep pushing forward. This is important Talon!"

"I don't understand, why can't you just tell me?"

"It's not time yet. I'll tell you when it is."

"How long will it take?!"

"...Until you make the Earth shake with your very power."

Talon growled at what was now a bitter memory. He gave up training once his father left, despite him asking him to train with his uncle.

What was so important anyways? he thought. But he shrugged, supposing he would never know.

"Talon!"

Talon looked up, hearing a familiar voice call his name, "Bella?" 

He was correct, but it wasn't just her. He noticed a ragged dark blue wolf with long bangs and hair. Her dark green eyes were tainted with shadows and bags. She looked like a bored child doing homework.

But her long torn dress was what confused him the most. The sleeves hid her knuckles just slightly. Bella looked distressed, as if she had seen a ghost herself.

"Bells, what's going on? Who is this?" he asked urgently.

"Daddy told me about his old farm house, so I went to go explore. But I heard crying and there were these big rocks blocking off a cellar. When I opened it I found her!"

"And she is…?"

"Magnolia T. Wolf. I am the first born of Nightshade T. Wolf."

"What?!" Talon exclaimed.

"I couldn't believe it either! But she looks so similar to Papa! I don't know what to do..!"

"Well… Uh… Let's take her to Biohazard. I think he's back to his house after the incident with Randal. How is he by the way?"

"He woke up yesterday, I told you that. He was only in a week long coma. You don't know how bad Shadic regretted what he did. Now come on, I think I know where brother lives." Bella said.

They trudged through the snow with the girl, occasionally asking questions about her which they got no real answer to, but they still kept the mood light despite her dark presence.

Eventually they made it to the edge of the Blackmist Forest. Talon gulped with Bella, they didn't know what was out there.

"Well.. Um… Ladies first?" Talon said with a nervous grin.

"O-oh no! You go first to protect us Talon!" Bella exclaimed.

Talon sighed but he knew Bella was right. She couldn't fight and it looked like Magnolia wasn't going to be any help either. So Talon walked into the dead forest.

When they walked in they instantly felt their immortality fade away from their bodies. This was permanent till they got back to their side outside this forest.

Talon continued to walk, jumping at every little noise and doing the best to make it look like he wasn't scared.

They didn't get far into the forest before they heard a loud growl in the darkness. Talon instantly put his arms in front of the girls behind him to make them stop as his ears perked to find the sound.

"T-Talon…?" Bella said.

"Sh." Talon ordered.

Another growl was heard, this time it sounded just feet away. Talon only had enough time to yell at the girls to stay back before he was tackled down by what looked like a giant saber toothed bear.

The bear let out a roar of rage and clawed Talon on his chest. He let out a scream of pain before he shoved the bear off him. He already knew the wounds went deep enough to where he was beginning to lose a lot of blood, but adrenaline kept him going.

Talon dived at the bear but he was kicked away by a larger built man. With a heavy thud Talon landed on the ground and remained there as he bled on the ground.

It seemed to take him a long time to look to see that it was Biohazard that had kicked him away. Biohazard had a rope on him and a knife and he was glaring at the bear.

"GET BACK!" Biohazard yelled.

The bear let out a roar and swiped at him, but Biohazard dodged the swipe. He then grabbed the rope and somehow jumped onto the bear's back.

The bear let out another roar and Biohazard swung some of the rope into the bear's mouth, making it like some sort of lasso.

The bear reared on it's hind legs and shook its head as it tried to remove Biohazard.

"COME ON YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!" Biohazard screamed.

The bear let out a roar again and Biohazard got the knife out of his holster before he spun it in his hand and stabbed the bear dead in the neck.

The bear's roar was cut short and it stayed on it's hind legs for a moment before collapsing onto it's back, right on top of Biohazard.

At this time Talon was unconscious from blood loss. Bella ran over to him while Magnolia went over to the bear. There was no movement for a moment before there was a shift from the bear.

It continued to shift before Biohazard put his head out from under the bear and gasped for air.

"Gah, fuck. Bessie got big." Biohazard growled.

Then he noticed Magnolia. He just stared at her for a second before he shook his head and struggled a moment before he got out from under the bear.

"Biohazard! Help me with Talon!" Bella shrieked. She had her hands pressed against Talon's chest to try and stop the bleeding but had no luck.

"Relax Bella. I got a few herbs on hand all the time to heal him up." Biohazard said as he pulled herbs out of his pockets that looked almost as dead as the forest.

"What are those?!" Bella asked.

"Herbs that can only heal wounds made here. Now he's probably gonna wake up and scream. Hold him down. It will heal his wounds if he remains still." Biohazard said as he crushed the leaves in his hands.

"It's gonna hurt him?"

"What do you think? This hurts like a bitch." Biohazard said as he knelt down to Talon's unconscious body.

He pressed the crushed up leaves against the wounds on Talon. Talon's eyes snapped open and he tried to jerk upwards with a scream of pain but Bella held him down with all her strength.

"Ta-Talon! Talon! Calm down! It's gonna be okay! He's helping you!" Bella said.

Talon struggled for a few minutes before he passed out from pain. Biohazard finished spreading the crushed herbs on Talon's wounds for a few moments before he removed his hands.

"There. That should help. Let's take him to my house. It'll be easier to care for him there. Though you and the stranger are gonna have to carry him. I wanna carry the bear for dinner." Biohazard said.

Bella nodded a bit and looked to Magnolia. The girl went over and picked up Talon's legs, and Bella lifted his torso. Biohazard went to the bear and tied up it's body before he began to drag it while the girls carried the unconscious boy.

During this entire time, from when Shadic was released from his merged soul with Jeff, Andy had been with Margo. They had stayed close together since then, mostly because Andy was always the type to cuddle in the middle of the day.

He was leaning on Margo, letting his head rest on her chest while he listened to her heart beat and she gently brushed his bangs to the side of his face.

"Andy..?" Margo asked.

"Yes hon?" Andy looked up to Margo, he seemed tired, he hadn't slept in a few days.

"What if I told you I wanted a baby…?" She asked gently.

Andy stayed quiet for a minute, a bit confused, but then he remembered that Margo had had cravings for the past few days and her breasts have also been a bit sore.

"Are you pregnant?" Andy asked.

"Y-yes.." Margo blushed and looked away.

Andy sat up and made Margo look at him. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he gave her a kiss. Her blush deepened as her eyes closed and she stayed in the kiss with Andy.

They broke the kiss after a few moments. Andy looked to Margo and smiled.

"I would love a baby with you. I've been thinking about having one for a while… But I was scared to ask because I was afraid you would think I was pressuring you to have one…" Andy said.

"You wouldn't have been pressuring me sweetie…" Margo smiled.

Andy chuckled and tears appeared in his eyes. He was crying happy tears. Margo sat up and hugged him gently, kissing his head.

"I'm glad we're gonna have a kid together." Andy sniffled.

"I'm glad too.." Margo smiled and wiped away Andy's tears. Andy hugged her tightly with a childish grin on his face.

"I love you Margo.."

"I love you too Andy.."

Talon gasped awake and sat up, he didn't have a shirt on and he had bandages wrapped around his chest. It took him a moment to remember that he was attacked.

"Wha.. Where…?" He looked around, not recognizing the inside of the house he was in.

"Wait… What are you talking about..?" A deep voice said in a different room.

Talon's ears perked and he slowly got off the couch, feeling a bit light headed from his lack of blood, but he slowly made his way to where the voice came from.

"I… I don't understand… How… Why..?" It was Biohazards' voice.

"It's true Bio. This is your older sister." Bella's voice sounded.

"I… I don't want to believe this… I can't believe this! I'm the older sibling! How can this be?!"

"Because our father is cruel." The voice of the strange girl sounded.

"No. No he's changed! He-"

"He took me away from you because he thought I was different. He shoved me in the basement of our house because I was only playing with you."

"No… No I can't believe this. I… I don't understand this."

Magnolia moved one side of her shirt to reveal a type of birthmark on her, it was shaped like a small heart. Biohazard had the same one on the small of his back.

"Wha…. It…. You have the same birthmark as me and my twin brothers… Though we all have it on different spots…"

"See..? I'm your older sister. Magnolia. Some people call me Maggie...but just call me Obsidian…" She said.

Talon watched from a crack in the door as Biohazard embraced Maggie in a hug. Then Talon felt lightheaded as he fell to his side with a heavy thud.

Bella instantly came in and saw him on the floor. She instantly helped him up and took him back to the couch.

"Uggghh… Remind me not to fight a bear…" Talon groaned.

"Yeah… I think once you're healed up a bit I'll take you home. But for now I want you to stay with Bio for a few weeks. Alright?"

"So long as you come visit me." Talon said.

"I promise. And I'll even have Randal come to protect me."

Talon was starting to get sleepy now, "Good, I wouldn't want a pretty girl like you hurt…"

"You think I'm pretty?" Bella asked.

"Of… Course…" Talon murmured before he finally fell asleep again.

18000\. He had it memorized. Today he was free to be an adult and go out on his own. But…

He could always remember it. His parents always said there was something important about today. But now that they were both gone…

"Whatever, probably was just an exaggeration. Besides, I have something far more important to do today."

He glanced over at the glinting diamond ring on a necklace sitting on the desk across the room. He sighed, "This is never going to work."

Throwing the covers off, he stood up and got dressed, putting his favorite jacket on of course. He picked up the necklace and put it in his pocket.

He decided to head out to the forest and take a walk. It seemed more quiet than usual, until of course he saw a small looking figure zip by in the bushes.

His ears flicked up, and his senses were telling him to follow. Not only that, but the scent that came from the figure seemed familiar.

The figure seemed to move with absolute panic. Eventually however Talon caught up when it ran out of breath and halted.

"Hey!"

"Oh my god! Don't hurt me! Please please please for the love of our dear queen Philomena please don't hurt me!"

The figure cowered and shook in fear on the dirt ground. Talon began to feel nervous, "C-Calm down! I just wanna help! My name's Talon, I was wondering if you were in any trouble."

"Talon…? Prince...Talon…?"

"Um...I'm not a prince, but I have been eyeing a certain princess for a while."

"..."

The small figure stood up and turned around. It gasped, "Oh my god…! It...it is you…! You've come back to liberate us just as the gods predicted!"

"Hey, calm down now. I'm no prince, I just came by to see if you need any help. Now what's wrong?"

"My...my kingdom is under siege…! The Dark King Osairus has returned! He's even captured an outsider! I tried to help but I was caught and kicked out!"

"Who?"

"She was a blue wolf with golden hair."

Talon gasped and his eyes widened, "Bella! Oh no…! She must've gone too far while exploring…! Quick! Take me to where she's being held!"

"Y-Yes of course savior!"

"Stop calling me that…" he growled under his breath as he followed the small creature.

"By the way, who and what are you?"

"I am Berry, one of the last survivors of Fox Clan."

"F-Fox Clan…?!" Talon gasped.

"Yes, there were many great catastrophes in our time, the greatest being the rise of The Dark King Osairus. He was overcome by rage and jealousy, and he killed his parents, the princess, and even the young prince Talon."

"What a monster…! How could he just kill a little kid like that…?!"

"Don't you remember your highness?"

"I told you I'm not a prince!" Talon exclaimed.

"Wait! Get down!"

Berry suddenly pulled Talon down into the bushes. He looked up, and saw a massive castle that seemed...familiar.

"Hey! What is this place?!" 

"Shh! He could hear us! Then that girl will never get out!"

"Would you just answer me?! I swear it's like you can't even hear me!" Talon growled.

"Please! I don't want Osairus to hear us, you want to rescue that girl don't you?"

Talon sighed, "Y-Yes...continue…"

"We have to find a way in around the back. Let's see, there's a secret passage, but I'm not sure I can open it from the outside."

"Well we've got to try!"

"Right," Berry stated as she nodded. She stood up and quietly lead Talon around the large structure.

They eventually reached a door, the lock being a circular hole, "Oh great. Of course it's got some kind of complex locking mechanism. The key could be anything!"

Talon then proceeded to take out a ring piercing from his ear. Berry looked up at him, "What're you doing? There's no way that's going to work!"

Talon let out a deep growl, "Shut up. It's my turn to lead the way thank you very much."

Finally Talon removed the large accessory and stuck it in the lock. For a moment they both began to think it wouldn't work, but then a glow peeked out from under the ring and the door slid open.

"I...I don't believe it…!"

"Whatever! Let's just go! I'm here for Bella, no one else! Got it?" 

"...I understand great savior."

"I will eat you."

"..."

Berry remained silent, as she followed the irritated boy down into the chambers of the castle. They eventually reached a dark and damp place of grey stones.

Talon nearly gagged at the whole situation as he played it back in his head. They eventually came to another door, this time the lock being in the shape of a strange symbol.

"Fox Clan…"

"What?"

"It's the symbol of our entire race, our very clan."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me. Forget this! I'm just going to blast this door open!" Talon held his hand out, a ball of energy forming.

But Berry grabbed his arm before he could fire, "No don't! He could hear us and then we'd never get to that girl! You want her safe don't you?!"

Talon glared at the girl but lowered his hand. He stared at the lock for a long time, "Wait a minute...that looks...familiar…" 

Talon then remembered his sister's jacket had the same symbol on it. He scowled, "Well...that doesn't exactly help me now…"

"This must've been meant for the princess's necklace. It's just the right size too. But I haven't seen that thing in years."

"Necklace huh? Hmm...I've got it! I remember now! It was the only thing she had left to Perry!"

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Hey kid, you got an emerald?"

"Y-Yes...I stole it just before I was kicked out," Berry admitted, pulling out a yellow glowing gemstone. She seemed nervous just looking at it.

Talon snatched it, and it began glowing even brighter. Berry was both frightened and perplexed. What was he planning?

"Vampire…" he started.

Berry gasped, "No way…!"

"...CONTROL!"

In a flash of light the boy was gone right before Berry's own eyes. She began to panic, not knowing whether she should keep still or go search for Talon.

Neither yielded satisfying results. But her panic didn't last long as another flash of light returned the boy that had just disappeared.

She could hardly believe her eyes when he held up a necklace with a charm in the same shape and size as the lock.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, had to pick this up from a friend of mine. Let's go!"

Berry smiled nervously, "Y-Yes indeed…"

Talon gently pushed the charm into the lock and just like before a glow emitted from under it and the door opened.

Through the doorway was a large hallway filled with steel doors. The doors themselves had small windows that were barred up, and it was even damper in this new location than the last.

Talon growled, "I don't like the looks of this Berry."

"What do you mean? It's no trap if that's what you're anticipating. Even Osairus doesn't know of this secret passage."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"I'm telling the truth! I'm trying to help you!"

"Whatever, let's just find Bella and go," Talon snapped. He was becoming annoyed with the whole scenario.

They walked until Berry stopped him near a stairway, "There. I hear something."

Talon's ears flicked up. It was true. It was faint, but he could hear familiar sobs behind the steel door, "Bella! Bella it's me! Are you in there?!"

The sobs stopped and a gasp sounded, "T-Talon? I don't believe it...how...how did you find me…?"

"It's okay Bells, I'm gonna get you outta here."

Berry noticed that Talon was trembling. Not from fear, but from anger. She knew that he didn't quite believe what he was saying either.

"Oh, ho ho! I'd love to see you try brat!"

Talon growled and turned, but Berry trembled in fear. He looked up and down at the person before him, memorising every detail so that he could tear each piece of it apart.

The first thing he noticed was his familiar scent, it was foul and disgusting. The man was tall, his dark blue fur bristling in annoyance.

The last two things he noticed were his eyes and cape. Each matched the other, both nearly blood red. "So...who's this guy?"

Berry shivered, "That's him, that's The Dark King Osairus! The one who almost caused our extinction!"

Osairus chuckled, "Yes that's right. You know Talon, I didn't think that stupid prophecy was true...but now that you're here I suppose I was wrong."

"Seriously, what the hell are you people on about?!"

"Haven't you been paying attention to your instincts boy? Tell me...doesn't something about me seem familiar?"

Talon growled, he wasn't wrong. The whole time he'd been here he knew something was up, "Yeah...well I didn't come here for you. I came here for Bella."

"As I said, I'd love to see you try and take her."

Berry looked behind her, and that's when she realised they were surrounded by guards, "What?! Impossible!"

"What? Thought I didn't know about that secret passage way? You must take me for a fool Berry."

"But...how…?!"

"None of your concern. Now boy, are you going to come quietly or do we have to get rough about it?"

"You don't scare me old man!"

"Grah! How dare you...you insubordinate little brat!"

Talon smiled, a cocky smile he had gotten from hanging around Shadic when he was a kid, "You say that like I don't know my own power."

"Power?! Impossible! You're just some spoiled little brat!"

"Whatever, but before I rip out your insides, tell me...how exactly does this place tie to me? I can sense it's familiarity but...I can't put the pieces together."

Osairus smirked, "Alright little brat you want to know the truth? You're dead."

Talon's ears flicked up and his eyes widened in shock. How could he be dead? He was right here! 

"Well...at least you were. You were always a stupid child. I was going to finish it, I was going to get rid of my wretched sister! But you got in my way…"

"Got in your way…?"

"You died by my hands, a death that was meant for your mother. My sister. I am the only one that deserves respect. She stole everything from me, and even you didn't bother to look my way!"

Talon growled, he had heard enough, "Sorry, but you must have me confused with someone else. I'd remember you and your crazy face."

Berry shook her head, "Great Savior, I don't think this is the time to fight!"

"Would you shut up with that?! My name is Talon! Talon!" he yelled, agitated.

"Doesn't matter, you'll all be dead soon enough."

Master sighed, "Today is the final day...such a shame, I was getting quite fond of this one. He sure was interesting."

His ear twitched as footsteps approached him from behind. He glanced back to see his student, Shadow. He was carrying a bag, though he didn't have many cloths.

"Alright Master...I think it's time I go… Besides, I have to get home it's important."

"Yes, I'm aware. Your boy Talon will not fail, that much I know."

"I hope you're right Master. I owe you my sincere gratitude for helping me cleanse my anger."

"Yeah yeah, now hurry up. I can sense danger at that old crumpled place."

Shadow nodded, "Right."

Master watched as he sped off, and let out another sigh, "You're still arrogant despite your anger being vanquished. This will certainly be interesting."

Asurath was pacing back and forth, it wasn't normal for Talon to be gone this long. In fact, he hadn't been out so long since he was just a little boy.

He stood still as he heard a small yawn behind him, "Big brother…? Why're you walking around like that…?"

Asurath sighed, "Sorry sis, Talon's been gone all morning. It's not like him to be away for so long."

"Maybe he's finally taking my advice," she said, dragging a blanket behind her.

Asurath raised an eyebrow while also perplexed at his sister's child-like nature, despite her age, "What advice?"

"He's been nervous about that girl he's been with. Bella was it? He's been considering proposing with a promise ring but he's scared. So I told him he should just man up and go for it."

"Huh. Well, I'm still worried. It's not norm-"

A knock interrupted their conversation, and Asurath's ears shot up in surprise, "Huh? Could that be him?"

Asurath walked up to the door, opening it slowly. But he gasped at who he saw, "Sh-Sh-Sh….Shadow…?!"

Shadow seemed un-amused at his friend's reaction to his appearance, "Hello Asurath."

"What're you doing here?! You didn't even bother to call!"

"I don't have a phone remember...?" Shadow said.

"Big brother...? Who's that…?" Tailsica came up behind Asurath.

Asurath seemed to tense in pure fear as he saw Shadow's face turn from shock to anger in a matter of seconds. Shadow faced Asurath.

"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" Shadow asked, though his voice was laced with cold hearted rage.

"Uh… Y-Yeah sure buddy…!" Asurath grinned nervously and went into the kitchen.

Shadow followed him, while Tailsica watched his every move.

"Don't hurt big brother mister scary hedgehog..." Tailsica said, though her voice was still very sleepy.

"I will make no promises," Shadow said as he went into the kitchen with Asurath.

In a matter of seconds Tailsica heard Asurath and Shadow yelling at each other about someone, but she couldn't really hear them all that well. She was deaf in one ear, and her good ear didn't help much unless it was quieter talking.

Inside the kitchen Asurath and Shadow stopped yelling at each other in a temporary truce.

"Alright Asurath, tell me what happened," Shadow growled.

"I just found her on the doorstep one day. She was so confused, her memories were all jumbled, couldn't remember who she even was." Asurath said.

"Does she remember anything?"

"No. She doesn't remember you Shadow. She hasn't said a word about you since being here."

"How old is she right now?" Shadow asked, he had noticed that Tailsica had looked younger than when she had died.

"Around 17000. Maybe a bit older than that. She acts like a child though. I guess this would of been her if she didn't change in her past life," Asurath said, crossing his arms and looking away from Shadow.

Shadow sighed, "Alright. Alright. She doesn't remember me, and it seems like she barely remembers anything else either. Does she remember the bastard that bit her before?"

"Sadly, yes. She remembers someone that bit her, and when she first saw Shadic she screamed and ran. I managed to make her think it was a nightmare and Shadic was harmless."

"Shadic knows about her?" Shadow glared.

"Yes. He came over one day to check up on me and Talon. He saw her and after the screaming scene, they've become close friends. Maybe more. I'm not entirely sure about that," Asurath said.

"...Whatever, I found myself a new mate anyways."

"You what?! When?! You told me you were training to keep your anger in check!"

"I was. I'll tell you later, right now, I need to see Talon."

"He's been gone all morning. And that's longer than usual. Even for a teen like him. You never really told me what's supposed to go down today."

Shadow glanced at his bag, pulling out a book with the Fox Clan symbol on it, "This was something I found when I first came across Talon."

"What is it?"

"The boy has incredible power, he had it since he was a small baby. My wife and I were planning to prepare him for today."

"Why? I don't get it, what's happening?"

"...Do you recall the name Osairus?"

Asurath's ears shot up again, and he nodded.

"He's back Asurath. Talon is the only one capable of defeating him. He is your very race's last hope Asurath, do you understand?"

"I-"

"Big brother?" a small voice asked.

Shadow and Asurath turned to see Tailsica at the door to the kitchen, she was rubbing one of her eyes, she was still sleepy.

"Yes sister?" Asurath said, his voice going gentle.

"Who's the big scary man with the fuzzy chest?" She asked.

"O-Oh. This is your...Uncle. Shadow. He never visited before because he was out training."

"Uncle…?" Tailsica looked to Shadow and her head tilted a bit.

"Um… H-Hey kiddo..." Shadow said nervously.

Tailsica walked up to Shadow and looked up at him, she was shorter than him so she had to tilt her head back a little.

Shadow noticed her eyes were blue sapphires, he had not seen those eyes in a long time, even if they were tired looking.

Tailsica stared at Shadow for a long moment before she grabbed his glasses and adjusted them on his face.

"They were crooked," She said before she smiled and hugged him.

Shadow was shocked for a moment at the hug, but he hugged her back tightly.

"I'm glad to meet you uncle Shadow," Tailsica said.

"Glad to meet you too kiddo…" Shadow said with a soft smile.

Asurath smiled, but his ears flicked up again, "Uh...Shadow, do you think that...Talon is at the old ruins of Fox Clan?"

Shadow's eyes widened, as he let go of Tailsica, "If that's true, I have to hurry. He's powerful, and we trained him the best we could, but he'll need my help."

"Be careful. I don't want you to disappear again."

"Sure," he said, nodding. 

"Be careful uncle...!" Tailsica said.

"I will...I promise you that…"

They both watched as he grabbed the book and sped off once more, "...I hope you know what you're doing…"

-

Talon glared hard at Osairus, feeling a deeper hatred for him than he remembered having before. He was upset that he captured Bella, and possibly even hurt her, but this was too much rage for something like this.

"What's the matter brat? Are you mad because I turned your precious kingdom upside-down and back again?"

Talon growled, but his ears flicked up when he heard Bella's voice again, "Talon don't! I know you're angry, but fighting won't help!"

"B-Bella…"

"You don't even know how strong he is! You're powerful, but what if he is too?!"

"...Grr! You're right…! I can't fight him… Not now, not here…"

Osairus laughed, "Good little brat, now get in your cage like the little rat you are."

Talon finally lost it, "I'M NOT A DAMNED RAT!" He screamed.

"Oh yes you are," Osairus chuckled, "Just like your mother."

Talon's hands clenched into fists as the whites and color of his eyes turned a bright red. Black smoke also started to come out of the corners of his eyes.

"Shut…. Up…" Talon snarled.

"Or what? As your little fuck toy said, you have no idea how powerful I really am."

"I will rip out your entrails and hang you with them…!"

"I'd love to see you try."

"Talon! Stop!" A voice suddenly joined in.

Talon's ears flicked up, hearing the all-too-familiar voice he hadn't heard in years.

The wall seemed to be blasted apart and as soon as the smoke cleared, everyone could see who it was.

"D-Dad…?" Talon stammered out, his eyes going back to normal.

Shadow scowled, "I'm disappointed in you, I thought you were better than this. I told you to not let your emotions control your power didn't I?"

Talon scowled, shaking with rage, "How...How DARE YOU...YOU...FUCKER?!"

Shadow didn't seemed fazed by his words, and just let him continue, "You DARE come back here and criticize ME when YOU left me all alone with uncle Asurath!"

"Talon, stop. You don't understand, just let me explain."

"No! I'm DONE listening to you, you asshole! I hate you! You don't care about me! All you care about is yourself!"

"ENOUGH!"

Talon's ears flicked up at this, feeling not rage, but regret from his father.

"Do you want to know...What happened after your mother left…?! I fell into darkness Talon! I didn't even bother training you like I should have!"

Talon stayed quiet, letting him continue, "I had a rage before she died, but once she was gone I...I couldn't control it...It was worse than a thousand werewolves."

"I knew it was only a matter of time before it got out of control, and I hurt you. I had to get rid of it, be rid of my fears, my anger, my sadness...But one thing I will never be rid of is my regret of ever leaving you behind like I did!"

Talon shook, seeming overwhelmed, "N-Nu…"

"I lied to you and Asurath because I wanted you safe...but it doesn't matter anymore...We have more important things than this Talon!"

"...Then fill me in on what we're doing."

Berry sighed in relief, she had been nervous the whole arguement.

"Whatever it is you've learned, is true. We have to take him down, but we have to do it together."

Osairus smirked, "Ah, ah, aaahhh...I'm not playing by your rules this time."

"This time? The hell are you on about?" Talon asked.

"Stay out of this boy!"

Without warning, a dark ball of energy blasted Talon across the room back to the very door he had entered through.

"Talon!" Shadow turned and growled at Osairus, "You bastard…! I'll kill you…!"

"You'll die trying."

Shadow suddenly smirked, a golden glow forming around him, "I don't think so. I think you'll find you'll die trying to stop me."

A strong wind began passing through the small room, and Berry took the opportunity and snagged some keys from one of the guards.

Talon sat up weakly, and his eyes widened seeing the glow around his father, "Nu...what's happening…?"

A sudden flash of light caught them all off guard, but once they had looked up, the blackness of Shadow's fur had become nearly white.

Not only that, but it was like he was floating, though his shoes didn't seem to be activated. Talon's ears flattened against his head, "Whao...talk about crazy hair styles...what's he up to…?"

Osairus growled, "Impossible! It's just a myth!"

"What? You scared Osairus? Come on! This became between us the moment you DARED lay a hand on my son!"

Osairus growled once more, a dark aura forming around him. The two flew out the hole in the wall and everyone stood back baffled.

Berry quickly unlocked the cell and turned to Talon, "Come! We'll take your friend and heal you both! Now hurry!"

Talon nodded and got up, but he let out a yell of pain as he felt a sharp pain in his side like a white hot knife was there. He looked down and saw a sharp rock stabbed into his side.

"Damn it all…!" Talon hissed.

He grabbed the rock in his side and yanked it out, letting out another yell of pain and he looked at his bleeding side. The wound was healing fast luckily. Talon ran over to Bella and picked her up.

Berry lead them both up the stairway. They eventually reached the third floor when Berry opened a door revealing five more girls just about her size.

"Oh my stars! Is that really you Berry?! And you brought him!" A girl with pigtails exclaimed.

Berry nodded, blushing in embarrassment, "Yes. But we must hurry! Girls, I need you to take care of this girl. I will take Talon and heal him."

"Of course darling! Come here dear, you look like you could use a makeover!" another girl shouted.

"Wh-What? But this is no time for-"

"I know! Maybe this one will do it!" said another.

"Ugh...they're impossible...let's go Talon, quickly."

Talon nodded. They raced up another set of stairs, though Talon had stopped, and saw his father and Osairus out a small window. He scowled, "Nu…"

Berry looked back and noticed he wasn't following, "Talon! Come now! If we don't hurry he could be killed!"

Talon looked up and nodded, following after Berry once more. Eventually they reached another room, and Berry made Talon sit on the bed inside.

Holding her hands out, waves of light seemed to spread out from them, and Talon watched as all his wounds closed even faster than before.

Once he was completely healed, Berry put her hands down, "There. Is there anything else you'd like to do before you do battle?"

Talon looked up, seeing a dresser with a mirror. He got up and sat in front of it, staring at his reflection for a moment before taking off all of his piercings.

He stood up again, then turned to Berry, "Let's go. I'll kill that bastard. He forfeited his life the moment he laid hands on my Bella."

Berry smiled and nodded, "Let us head out then. Wouldn't want to waste this opportunity to set an advantage on him!"

The two hurried outside, though Talon was fearing the worst.

"What? You scared Osairus? Come on! This became between us the moment you DARED lay a hand on my son!"

Osairus growled once more, a dark aura forming around him. The two flew out the hole in the wall and everyone stood back baffled.

Osairus smirked, "You know...if you were just trying to lure me out to run off, you could've just done it. There's no shame in giving up when you know you can't win."

Shadow's cocky smirk diverted into a frown, "You talk too much."

"Wh-What?"

"I'm done talking, either fight or go cry like the baby you are."

"You...you little…! Fine! You want a fight I'll give you a fight!"

Osairus finally lunged forward, but stopped short when in a flash of light his target was gone. He looked around and growled, "Get out here you coward!"

Shadow appeared above the clueless fox and kicked him with such force it sent Osairus flying right into the pavement below.

Osairus growled, and got right back up like it was nothing. Shadow groaned, this was going to be a long fight.

Punches and kicks were thrown in a constant pattern, and it seemed to last for ten minutes until finally Osairus landed a punch right in Shadow's face.

He growled, but smirked, pleased with his success in landing a hit. Quickly he brought his hands beside each other and a ball of pure black energy formed.

Shadow didn't have time to notice so that he could stop it, and as he looked up, he knew he was in trouble. Osairus growled again, "SEE YOU IN HELL YOU PESKY RAT!"

Osairus threw the ball before Shadow even had a moment to react, and blood was hacked up as the pain arrived in his abdomen.

Shadow was thrown against a wall and it cracked from the force he was thrown with. He stayed on the wall a moment, blood dripping down his chin before his white fur reverted back to it's natural ebony color.

"D… Damnit…" Shadow groaned before his body finally caught up with gravity and he fell to the ground.

His body landed right in front of Talon, who was running to help Shadow. Talon stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Shadow laying on the ground with a dark stain on his stomach.

Shadow coughed up more blood, groaning in pain, "Dammit…!"

"Nu!" Talon fell to his knees and tried to help his father up, but was pushed away to his surprise.

"No Talon...don't bother...just...listen okay…?"

"Nu no! Save your strength!"

"Just listen dammit!"

Talon's ears flattened as tears began to form, "N-Nu...please…"

"I'm sorry...that I lied to you Talon...I couldn't handle taking care of you after your mother died...but...know that...no matter what...I've always been proud...to call you my son…"

"Dad...y-you'll make it! Don't say things like that!"

"You have to finish this alone Talon...you were meant...to be here...please...these people need you...protect them with all your strength and don't you dare hold back…!" Shadow said softly.

"Nu…! No I don't wanna do this alone…!"

Talon received no reply after that, as Shadow's eyes slowly slid shut.

"N-Nu…?" Talon asked, but still he received no reply.

"NU!" Talon screamed and began to shake him.

"Nu! Nu please! WAKE UP!" Talon screamed.

Shadow's eyes were closed. Talon still received no reply. He pressed a hand against Shadow's neck and felt a fading pulse.

"No! No NU DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME!"

"Prince Talon please!" Berry's voice suddenly came up as he grabbed Talon to hold him away from Shadow.

"NO! LET ME GO! HE'S DYING! I NEED TO HELP HIM!" Talon screamed.

"Prince Talon!" Berry exclaimed, "Stop! It's too late for him!"

"NO!" Talon screamed and jerked away from Berry before throwing himself over his adoptive father's body, letting out a sob.

Berry's ears flattened in distress, and just as she thought she would never get through to Talon, Bella had finally come out.

Berry nearly slapped her hand on her face when she saw that the girls had forced her into a dress and tiara, but she resisted and simply sighed.

Bella gasped and ran to Talon's side, "Oh no...is he really…?"

A cruel laughter cause all of them to flick their ears up, "Weak! I expected more from the ultimate lifeform!"

Bella shot Osairus a cold hearted glare, but her anger deteriorated as she noticed Talon began to shake. Berry too noticed this, and backed away nervously.

"YOU...YOU DID THIS…" he growled.

"Talon…?" Bella squeaked in fear, noticing a glow emitting from him.

"Yes yes I did. And to think if you weren't so slow he'd still be here. Perhaps all these years have made you weaker. Doesn't matter though, you'll join your stupid father soon enough."

"I'LL MAKE SURE YOU ROT IN HELL..." Talon stood up as the whites and colors of his eyes turned a bright red and his fur began to turn white.

"What the hell…?" Osairus said.

"I'LL MAKE SURE YOU SUFFER..." Talon snarled as black smoke emitted from his eyes. Then he disappeared.

"What the-" Osairus didn't get the question out as he felt something his him in the back and fling him forward.

It took him a moment to recover and turn to see Talon in front of him, his fur pure white and his eyes red with black smoke coming out.

"What the hell?!" Osairus exclaimed.

Talon began to speak in a different language, Fox Clan language, only Osairus could understand him though.

"You have lived long enough. It's time you die," Talon growled.

Bella watched intently from the ground as did Berry. They both were too distracted by the fight itself to notice the glowing figure leaning down near Shadow's body.

"...Shadow...get up…" it whispered.

Shadow's eyes opened only slightly, but he could tell who it was, "T-Tailsica…?"

She smiled, "You can't leave. Not yet. You will be needed here. I can sense it."

"..." Shadow fell unconscious again as his wounds began to close. Tailsica sighed and stood up, "I hope she gets here before Talon kills him."

Though Bella didn't notice Tailsica as she disappeared, she could've sworn she saw some light out of the corner of her eye.

Berry tensed a bit, "So...this was that ultimate power Dharskii mentioned…"

Bella seemed perplexed at that, "Dharskii? Who's that?"

"It's a legend lost upon my people, but there are two overseers of our great planet. They're the ones that foretold this day...Dharskii and Kaskhan."

"Overseers? Like...gods?"

"Precisely. I am one of the fortunate to witness their appearance."

Bella shook off the thought and moved her eyes back to the battle in the skies. Something told her that there was much more to this than they knew.

Osairus growled as he was pushed back by a powerful blow, "How is this possible?! You can't be this strong!"

"You are a fool. You are going to die, and when this is over I shall look upon your corpse and smile."

"We'll see about that."

Talon growled, he raised up his index finger and Osairus watched in confusion as a tiny ball of energy became larger by the second.

Bella's brow raised in similar perplexion, "What's he doing?"

"I'm not sure. I don't recognize this technique."

In only a minute the ball was nearly big enough to total the whole temple. Osairus growled, "You little brat! I'll send you back to the depths of hell from which you came!"

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you."

Osairus yelled in outrage, a ball of dark energy formed in his own hands. Nearly simultaneously they both threw their energies at each other.

They clashed, and it after a few minutes it seemed neither had an advantage until Talon threw a few more balls of energy at the larger one he had just thrown.

Osairus's screams could be heard from the village on the other side of the jungle as the light engulfed both his energy and him.

Bella grinned, "Yes! He did it! ...Huh?"

Talon's proud smirk became a clear frown as he lowered himself to the ground. His white fur reverted back to it's normal grey state and his eyes also followed suit. He glared down at what looked like a much younger Osairus.

He lifted a hand, another ball of energy forming. Just as he was about to fire, a painfully familiar voice interrupted, "Osairus!"

The small boy that lay on the ground looked up in pure fear, it was clear he also knew who it was. Berry grinned as a golden fox with green eyes approached the young child.

"...It has been over billions of years little brother...can you not see that none of this has earned you anything more than...a painful title…?"

She spoke gently, as if trying to lull a baby to sleep. Much to everyone's surprise lest her own, Osairus began shedding long held tears.

"I...I am truly sorry dear sister…! But...no one seemed to care about me…! No it was always about YOU! I just wanted to be respected and loved like you were!"

The woman just shook her head and smiled, "Osy...you don't need everyone's respect...because I have always respected you…"

Osairus still seemed unconvinced, "Perhaps...if you hear it from him you'll understand…"

At first everyone was rather confused, but everyone seemed to freeze as what looked like a mini Talon peeked out from behind the woman.

He wore arabic looking clothes, and Bella nearly swooned at how cute he was. The boy slowly inched up to Osairus, speaking softly and shyly, "Uncle…?"

Osairus seemed to panic, he didn't know what to say.

"I'm sowwy that I didn't pay no attention to you...people always is telling me that you're a bad porwson...but...I fowgive you…" he said, smiling sweetly.

Osairus stood up, looking down at the young boy he hadn't seen in a millenia. He sniffled as they hugged, and everyone seemed to relax.

After they broke their embrace, Osairus glanced at Bella and Talon, who were now standing side by side. His ears flattened, and he slowly inched forward, "Um…"

Talon shot up a glare at him, but a grab on his arm from Bella told him to calm himself.

"...I am...dreadfully sorry for all the pain I have cause you...and as…'king'...I relinquish my position...to you, Prince Talon."

Berry's eyes widened when Osairus took off his crown, tossing it to Talon, "There...I don't deserve to wear that anymore…"

Talon stared hard at it for a while, before he shook his head, "I...I can't wear this...I'm not ready…"

"How many times have I told you to stop doubting yourself...?" A raspy voice sounded.

Everyone's ears flicked up as they all recognized the voice. Talon turned slowly, then saw Shadow standing there with a hand over a dull colored spot where the wound once was.

"N….Nu…?" Talon asked, seeming to hesitate.

"Who else do you expect? Your uncle?"

Talon stood dead still for a long moment before he turned fully and ran up to Shadow. He seemed happy at first before he flat out punched Shadow in the face.

"GAH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Shadow cried as he held his now bleeding nose.

"THAT WAS FOR DYING ON ME!" Talon screamed but then he hugged Shadow and let out a happy sob.

Shadow's ears perked and he smiled gently, "Shh… It's okay…" he whispered.

"Don't… Ever… Do that again..!" Talon sobbed.

Soon their embrace was broken, and Shadow frowned,

"Listen son...it's like I said before...you were meant to be here. I know for a fact your mother would be proud, and I hope you know that I am too. I know you're still doubting yourself...because of me…"

Bella seemed shocked by this, "Is this true...Talon…?"

Talon nodded at Bella, seeming ashamed of himself, "Yes...I thought that when he left...it was because I was a disappointment to him…"

Shadow smiled again and shook his head, "Just like your mother...Look at me son."

Talon turned his gaze back to his adoptive father, seeming nervous, "Even when you were a baby, I could sense you were powerful...but you don't understand how to control it, even with all the training we've done...I see that now…"

Talon's ears folded back, it was true, his emotions always seemed to get the better of him. Even now his victory was the result of his own rage.

"...I know you don't like to think of yourself as better than others, but whether you like it or not Talon you're a special boy. Even I didn't want my powers at your age. I got pushed around a lot for it actually."

"Y-You did?" 

Shadow rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Heh...yeah...but I had to accept them...and I used them for good...to protect those I love…"

That's when it became clear to Shadow that Talon understood his words. Talon nodded, but Shadow still continued, "It's not about how strong we are Talon, it's about how we use our strength."

"I understand father," Talon finally said.

He turned to Osairus once more, "Osairus…?"

Bella seemed to tense at this, "Talon-" 

"It's alright Bella."

Osairus looked up nervously, "Y-Yes…?"

"I would like to ask that you stay here and clean up this mess with what little time you have in the realm of the living," he said, crossing his arms.

"Yes of course."

Philomena smiled, "Well then, I'm afraid we must go now. Goodbye dears! I wish you all luck, and I'm sure Talon does too, don't you sweetie?"

The little boy nodded, blushing in embarrassment, "Y-Yes mommy…"

And with that, they both disappeared into thin air. Bella finally seemed to relax and let a sigh of relief slip from her lips.

Talon glanced at Shadow for a brief moment, and when he received a nod to his silent question, he pulled out the necklace he had been keeping in his pocket.

Bella noticed him hold it out to her and glanced over. She blushed, knowing full well what he was asking, "T-Talon…"

Talon just blushed, looking at his feet, "I-If you don't think you're ready I understa-"

His words dissolved into grunts as he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug, "Are you kidding?! Of course I will!"

Talon smiled, putting the necklace around his new mate's neck. Though his blush only got worse when he heard the cheers of both the villagers and even his own father.

He knew there was still a long day ahead of him.


	6. Countdown To Freedom

To say that it was the most irritating day in all of her existence was an understatement.

Harsuki sat there, arms crossed as her foot twitched, "First my son goes off to climb trees like some monkey and goes all ape over that wretched princess…" she began.

"Then I send my daughter out on a simple mission to destroy them both, and what do I hear? She settled down with those do-gooders!"

"Come now dearest," a familiar voice called.

She looked up, recognizing her husband, "What?"

"Our unnatural offspring are far more loyal than those stupid pure borns," he scoffed.

Harsuki smirked, "Yes...indee-"

She suddenly stopped her words as her eyes widened. She could feel it coming close...no...no it was already here.

She stood up, glancing at her left wrist, chained just like her other limbs. She tugged as hard as she could, and just like that...it had broken.

She could hardly believe it. She opened and closed her fingers a few times before looking at her other wrist. She pulled again, and the chains once again broke.

She crouched down, and then jumped up, and the last of her binds broke off. She landed down off the ledge she had been sitting on before.

She stared at her hands again, and after a few minutes she smirked. And the whole mountain nearly shivered in fear as she laughed mercilessly.

Though no one could see, black clouds began to shroud around the very tip of the towering mountain.

It was one of the most peaceful days that anyone could recall. It had been a long lasting peace of course over so many years.

Margo walked proudly with her new family, her new whitened wings finally allowing her to belong. She simply listened as her young went on chattering.

"...and den he just blew da monster away! Like it was nothin'! And den my nightmare waden't a nightmare no more! Nope! It was a dweam!"

Beside them a tanish fox riding a black cloud of smoke blushed, "Aw shucks sis, it was nothing...it's what I do…"

Margo grinned and giggled, "You're too modest Danny. Honestly, you have an amazing gift."

"Now Margo, we don't want to embarrass him."

"Hey momma?" the small girl squeaked.

"Yes Sarah?"

"When's Fiyaro gonna comes and sees us…?"

"He'll be having dinner with us tonight honey. Now relax, I know you two are friends but he can take care of himself just fine."

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream pulled them from their moment of bliss. When they looked up, a creature that looked like Harsuki was sucking the life from a villager.

Sarah quivered in fear, and Andy quickly covered her eyes and ears, "Don't look sweetie!"

"What IS that?!" Margo shrieked.

The creature suddenly dropped it's victim and turned. Nearly every last tooth was a viciously sharp fang covered in blood.

The lust for blood in it's eyes were clear, and it growled at it's newly found prey. Margo growled back, her pupils becoming slits.

She took a protective stance, and hissed at the threat posed to her family. Andy stared in amazement, he had never seen this side of her before.

True he had seen her angry before, but not like this. No...this was different. However, this only lowered his guard for what came next.

Suddenly, Margo lunged forward and tore out the creature's throat, growling fiercely as she did so. She spit out the bitter flesh and watched the creature fall to the ground.

Blood splattered from her mouth to her jacket, and she glanced back at her husband, still seeming aware of her surroundings.

"Danny...take Sarah...leave…"

That was all they needed to hear, as Andy handed the frightened child to his adopted son. Sarah began to squirm, "Daddy!"

Andy flashed her a sincere smile, "It's alright honey, I'll be back I promise. Take care of your mother for me though alright?"

He took of his hoodie, giving it to the crying girl. She sniffled and put it on, nodding. And he watched as Danny took off, a worried look on his face.

Shadow was beginning to get used to the reborn Tailsica. He hung out with her whenever he could, and kept her far from dangers like the Blackmist Forest.

They were just chattering, seeming happier in that moment than any other. Shadow lead her on as they headed out of the restaurant they had breakfast in.

But as he opened the door, their smiles quickly became looks of pure horror. Three creatures - the like of which looking nearly identical to HellFrame and Harsuki - were eating villagers alive.

But that wasn't what caught Shadow's attention. No...right in front of him he could see a familiar figure with his back turned, "HellFrame…"

The figure turned, the whites of his eyes purely black, those red unblinking eyes staring at his witnesses. He scowled.

He turned fully and extended an index finger towards them. Shadow instantly noticed the creatures drop their victims and turn towards him.

Tailsica shivered in fear, "Unclllllle…!"

"It'll be okay Tailsica, I promise. Stay behind me okay?"

"But-"

"Just do as I say!"

"Okay…!" she squeaked.

Shadow looked around, seeing that the creatures seemed to be everywhere in the village at this point. He growled again, "Come on! You think you can defeat ME?!"

Tailsica watched as her uncle darted forward and began beating the creatures within an inch of their life.

However, it didn't last long as the rest of them began ambushing him, "UNCLE NO!"

"Tailsica run!"

She couldn't bring herself to move, she only found herself crying as she fell to her knees.

But her eyes lifted when she noticed a shadow cast over the ground. It was Shadic. She noticed immediately the sword in his hands.

"Sh-Shadic…?"

He didn't answer, and used one of his hands to blast the creatures apart. He ran over to Shadow with Tailsica, noticing he was too injured to get up.

He looked over at the frightened girl, seeming calm even with the current circumstances, "Take him and get to the treehouse in the forest. I'll keep these guys off you."

Tailsica shook her head, "I'm not leaving you behind! Not you too!"

"Dammit Tailsica we don't have time! Just take him and go! That's an order!"

Tailsica nodded, and hesitantly helped Shadow up onto his feet, hurrying away from the creatures as fast as she could manage.

At first, Shadic began to regret it, knowing he couldn't take on so many at once, until he noticed a wolf in armor stab a creature that was lurking behind him.

Once he got a good look at the soldier, he knew who it was, "Dad? What're you doing here?"

Dark wiped the sweat from his head, "I'm tired of sitting around in fear like a child. I've got to defend this kingdom and everyone in it."

Shadic nodded, he understood now. Even with all his wrongs, he's tried hard to prove himself. But there was no time now, he just nodded, a silent apology for ignoring him for so many years.

Maggie just stood outside, staring off. Not that this was abnormal, Bio had become accustomed to it. She looked up, and her ear twitched.

Suddenly, she jumped back. Bio didn't know what she was doing for a moment, but when a Raccat landed face first into the ground she stood on he knew what was going on.

He noticed another creature on top of the Raccat. It looked like Henry but...that couldn't be right. Maggie hissed, and pulled the creature up by it's hair.

The creature's eyes opened, looking exactly like HellFrame's and Bio knew it wasn't Henry at all. Maggie hissed once more, "WHERE IS YOUR MASTER?!"

The creature coughed up blood, and wheezed, "He's already putting the castle...under siege...he probably...already killed them all…!"

The creature laughed, causing it to cough up more blood. Without warning, Maggie tore out it's throat violently and spit out the flesh.

Growling she sped off before Bio could even reach her. He sighed, it was going to be a long day after all.

Danny tried desperately to get Sarah to safety, but once again he found himself cornered. He growled at the creatures, a warning to back off.

However a burst of light shot down the creatures, and Danny looked up, "Mom!"

Margo smiled, "Thank Aleena you two are okay! Come on! We can still make it out!"

Sarah suddenly jumped out of her brother's arms and ran like no tomorrow, "DADDY!"

Margo growled, "Sarah get back here! It's dangerous!"

"She's too fast! We have to go!"

"She's my daughter Danny!"

"She's smart...she can take care of herself, now we have to go!"

Margo looked at her feet, weighing her options, until she nodded.

The two hurried back to the center of the village, unaware of what was really happening.

Samara was always a quiet girl, but she only spoke to one person. Well...not really a person. It was a doll she found in her father's attic while looking for a spell book.

He called himself the Tails Doll and had a red gem hanging off a string attached to his head. He looked intimidating, but was really gentle at heart.

The two were just out shopping, it seemed like a quiet enough day to do so, "Stay here and don't cause any trouble and I'll buy you a little treat!"

Tails Doll sat obediently, watching his friend disappear behind closed doors.

He heard footsteps, and looked up curiously. It wasn't anyone he recognized, but the woman seemed to have an unsettling vibe about her.

Her long dark jade hair was caught in the wind. Her sinister eyes never leaving the dolls own unblinking ones. She smirked, her finger extended and he found himself floating.

Something was not right. He had to get away, had to get help. But it was too late, the woman pulled him closer and ripped his head off, dropping it on the pavement.

Her finger finally stopped glowing, and the body of the doll fell alongside it's head. She smiled, as if she was proud of her doing.

That's when Samara finally emerged from the shop, "T.D! I've got some treats for yo-"

Horrified eyes scanned the lifeless body that was just sitting patiently outside only moments ago. She heard a cruel laugh, and saw the woman.

"Oh I'm sorry. Was that your toy? I don't play very nice with toys...I like to play ROUGH!" she snarled, laughing even more.

Samara began to shake, "You...what did you do…? What...did you...DO?!"

Samara's voice sounded demonic now, as she let her anger take hold above any other emotion, though tears ran down her cheeks.

Without hesitation, she charged at the woman she only knew at the moment as an enemy. The only thought that ran through her head was KILL.

Asurath paced worriedly, it was far too long. Shadow was usually back by now. His master Lucy just stood and watched her pupil hopelessly ramble on.

But a sudden surge of energy made her second guess her pupil, and she gasped. Asurath looked up, a little concerned for his master, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"...She's free…"

"What?"

"She's free! Harsuki she's free! Quickly! Retrieve your friends at once!"

Asurath didn't need to hear anything more and quickly bolted towards the village. Lucy watched contently, hoping it wasn't already too late.

Shadow groaned, finally waking up. He noticed that he was in an alleyway, but he wondered how he had gotten there.

Last he checked, he was being eaten alive by monsters attacking the village. He looked up, and saw Tailsica bandaging him up.

"Oh!" she squeaked in surprise, "Uncle you're okay! I thought this wouldn't work!"

Shadow sat up, groaning again, "I-I'm fine...what happened…?"

"Shadic saved you."

"Wh-What?"

"Shadic jumped in and saved you. He distracted them while I took you here to hide."

Wheels began turning in his head as he tried to process this. His enemy had saved him? Why? He had no reason to save him, in fact he had more reasons not to than reasons to do it.

"Uncle?"

"I-I'm fine. I need to get back out there and help them."

"No! I'm not letting you go on your own again!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"I wanna help!"

"Tailsica-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer and that's final!"

"Ugh! You're impossible!"

Shadow didn't want to put Tailsica in danger again, but she was just as stubborn as she was before, even more so than last time.

He sighed, "Fine. But you have to promise to stay behind me at all times. Got it?"

She nodded, "Yes uncle. I understand."

Margo and Danny were the first to arrive. Margo growled when she noticed Samara lying on the ground completely vulnerable.

A familiar foe standing over her. Asurath was next, then Shadow and Tailsica. Finally Dark, Shadic and to everyone's surprise, David appeared.

Asurath gasped, seeing his daughter on the ground, "Sam!"

Samara shook her head, "Run...get...out of here…!"

Harsuki gently placed a foot on the girl's head, "Even when you pathetic filth bloods are down you still just keep on talking."

"Get away from her!"

"Asurath don't!"

Everyone watched in horror as Samara's head was crushed, and blood splattered onto all of them, even the two angels who were in the air.

Tears mixed with blood that had stained Asurath's cheeks.

Andy seemed to move with panic, he had to find his wife and children, and fast. It wasn't safe here, they had to leave and they had to leave now.

Hesitantly, he stepped out of the alleyway he had ventured into. However, he was stopped in his tracks when he saw Harsuki standing over Samara, her foot on her head.

He growled, and was about to stop Harsuki, but he suddenly felt a severe burning pain in his chest. He looked down, seeing an axe had been stabbed through him.

He glanced behind him, only to see a grinning HellFrame. Slowly and painfully he pulled the axe out and let the dying wolf fall.

"DADDY!"

The others looked up in absolute horror, especially Shadic as Sarah ran out to her father and began shaking him. Hot tears streamed down her face as she tried to revive her father, but to no avail.

"Daddy no! Daddy…! DAAAAADDYYYYYY!"

The girl sobbed as she hugged her father's limp body, and Margo cried out in despair. HellFrame just shot them a cold, twisted grin.

"Well I do believe that this is the end for you. I hope you had a fun time but I'm afraid our little play date is over."

"You son of a bitch…!" Asurath snapped.

Harsuki put a finger to her chin, seeming to get a nasty idea as she grinned, "Come now dear, we can be a little merciful."

She turned her head to look at frightened and angered faces, "Listen up runts! I'm going to give you ten seconds to get out off our land, failure to do so on time...will result in your brutal deaths."

Everyone tensed up at these words, though they all silently agreed that they were in no condition to fight. Sarah's ears flicked up, and she hurried to her mother's side, knowing the situation now.

Harsuki just smirked at them, "...Run."

And like that, they all bolted. None of them had run faster than in that moment. They began to separate as they reached the exit of the kingdom.

Harsuki had been counting down the entire time, and her hand glowed once she had reached two. Her aim lingered towards David and she smirked, "...one."

David suddenly found himself inable to fly, as the blow hit one of his wings hard causing him to fall hard to the pavement below.

HellFrame himself had been eyeing his potential targets, and took his aim on Asurath. His blast shot right through the fox's chest.

He fell limp instantly and Tailsica screamed in despair, "ASY!" Shadow kept his grip on the girl though, "Don't look Tailsica!"

Harsuki extended her finger once more, and the plethora of creatures at their disposal gave chase as the group exited the kingdom grounds.

Margo stopped when she realised Danny had stopped following, "Danny!"

"It's okay! I'm going to hold them back!"

"You'll get killed!"

"Don't worry about me! Just take Sarah and get out of here!"

Margo's ears flattened, "...Thank you...son…"

Quickly she turned and grabbed Sarah, taking flight in a separate direction than the others. Soon however, she suffered the same blow as David and crashed in a small clearing.

Sarah gasped in horror, as they both fell down. Margo coughed up blood as she spoke, "Sarah...hide…! You're a fledgling they can't smell you…!"

"M-Mommy…!"

"GO!"

Sarah flinched and hid in the bushes, trying to keep both still and quiet. She almost squeaked when she heard her mother scream out in pain.

But when she heard footsteps fade off she knew it was safe. She hurried out, seeing a hole in Margo's chest, "M-Mommy...no no no…! You can't leave me too…!"

"Sarah...honey...listen to me…"

Margo gently took what looked like a vial out of her pocket, handing it to the terrified girl, "Wh-What's th-this for…?"

"Just get...some samples of my blood...it will help...heal Miranda…"

Sarah nodded, filling the vial as best she could. She stared at her mother sadly, "M-Mom-"

"It's okay honey...just leave me...I'm going to see your father...take care of Miranda for me okay…?"

"I-I will! I'll never let anything hurt her!"

Margo smiled weakly, "Good girl…"

Sarah sniffled as her mother's eyes shut, and stood up. She quickly bolted to the lake, following the scent of the others with haste.

Shadic had gotten to a small pathway on his own. He breathed heavily, finding it hard to believe this wasn't just a nightmare.

"A-Andy...I'm sorry...I wasn't...fast enough…!"

He growled when he heard the sound of a twig snapping in two, he pulled out his sword, ready to destroy one of those wretched creatures responsible for all this.

But he could tell who the figure was as she silently stepped into view. Her long bangs nearly blocking her eyes, and her cloak's hood covering the rest of her face.

Shadic had so many questions, but the biggest one centered at the small infant she held. The child's fur was an even paler blue than Bella's and her long golden hair nearly concealed her face.

A smaller body peeked out from behind her, and Shadic recognized her as Miranda. She was clearly nervous.

"Alex…?"

"Y-Yes...it's me Violet."

Violet seemed to relax, and inched closer to the wolf, "Who's kid is that?"

Violet's ears flattened, "This...is Elizabeth...she's Paula's child Alex..."

"Wh-What?"

"You're a grandfather Alex."

He gently took the infant from Violet. He seemed to shake with pure joy as a crooked smile spread across his face.

He tilted his head as the baby stirred, and her bright red eyes saw Shadic for the first time. She smiled and giggled.

Though Violet didn't show much emotion, Shadic could've sworn he saw her smile in that moment.

Shadow was the first to arrive at the lake, and once he was sure he had lost them, he hugged Tailsica tightly. She sobbed uncontrollably.

Next Shadic and Violet arrived, and Shadic's smile fell when he saw Tailsica. He hated seeing her cry, it was distressing.

Lastly, after what seemed like an hour, Sarah finally turned up. She was slumped over as she walked. Her face stained with tears.

Shadic handed the baby back to Violet and hurried over to the distraught girl. "Sarah? Sarah what happened? Where's your mother?"

Sarah didn't say much for a moment, but Shadic nearly yelped in surprise when Sarah grabbed him in a tight hug and sobbed just as hard as Tailsica had.

"I-I TRIED! B-BUT I COULDN'T- I COULDN'T…!"

Shadic gently stroked the crying girl urging her to calm down, "I-It's alright Sarah...we've all lost someone today…"

"I-I told him…! That...that I would...protect her…! I failed him…! He'd be so...ashamed of me…!"

"No he wouldn't! Sarah, you did what you had to! This isn't your fault!"

"A-And dad…! Dad died...because of ME…!"

"Sarah that's enough!"

"Alex…" Shadow suddenly interjected.

Shadic looked up, surprised. Shadow just shooed him away, and kneeled down to Sarah, "Listen to me Sarah...I've been losing people my whole life...and I always blamed myself…"

Sarah sniffled, "R-Really…?"

"Yes. I lost all of my children, my wife, even my adopted mother…"

"Y-You did?" Sarah whimpered.

Shadow nodded, "You're very brave Sarah."

He hugged her tightly, and smiled when she returned the gesture, sobbing silently as she did so. Shadic turned to Violet and took the baby back from her.

He slowly inched back to Sarah and when they broke their embrace, he smiled, "Would you like to hold her? It's my granddaughter."

Sarah's eyes lit up and she gently took the girl from his arms, "She's so tiny...and pretty...I love her hair…"

Shadic chuckled, "She is a beaut isn't she? Just like her mother."

Sarah smiled, "I'll keep you safe too. You won't have to see one of those nasty things ever."

The baby giggled, unaware of the events that had taken place before she had awoken. Miranda seemed to relax, as did the others.

Perhaps there was still hope.

Amy waited in silence in the small cellar. Her children shivered with both fear and cold. She tried her best to reassure them, but they were still doubtful.

Luna just sat in the corner, seeming upset. Finally the doors swung open, and they all spotted Dark. His armor was cracked and broken off in some places.

They could also see his many wounds. But what shocked them the most was the limp body he had been dragging by it's shirt.

It was David. Dark was unconscious before he could utter a single word of explanation. He fell, David's body following with him.

Amy rushed forward, and caught her husband, while Luna's magic grabbed David's body. Her eyes welled up in devastation, "Davey…"

Amy cried, "Oh Dark...why must you always leave me behind like this…? I guess old habits do die hard."

Maggie ran like her life depended on it, but once she reached where she was heading, it was far too late. She gasped in shock at the sights set before her.

The castle had been completely destroyed, and the village along with it. The whole area was just as misty and gloomy as her home.

Tears formed in her eyes, as she fell to her knees, "No...I was too late...Alex...Randy...they're all dead…!"

She put her hands in her face and sobbed. While she grieved, she didn't notice the menacing creature lurking slowly behind her.

Dark stumbled as he walked, trying to reassure his wife he was fine. It had been months, yet his wounds just wouldn't heal. But he knew precisely why.

Amy slowly helped him into a cave, lying him down gently. She sighed, "Please Dark. Just get some rest." Dark was about to protest, but he realised she was right.

He slipped off to sleep, and awoke nearly hours later. However, he found it was dark out and his family was already sleeping as well.

He sighed, "I haven't got long. I still haven't done enough to apologise for everything I've put those boys through...wait."

His ears flicked up, as an idea swam in his mind, "That's it. Yes, I have just enough power! It's gotta work!" He stood up, and rushed off.

Eventually he stopped at a familiar looking house, and walked into the backyard. He stared intently at a very familiar looking tombstone.

He walked up to it, "Hey bud. It's been a while."

Dark smiled, "Might as well get this over with. I haven't got much left in me."

Dark then put his hands out, and they emitted a dim glow. Over time the glow got brighter, and Dark could feel immense pain coursing through him.

Eventually he was blasted back, and awoke to a faint yet familiar whimper. He sat up, only to see a little puppy. He smiled, "It worke-"

Suddenly all the pain once again caught up with him all at once. He fell over again, but when he looked up, he saw a face he never thought he'd see again.

"Aleena...?" Dark whispered.

"...I will take him to him. Don't worry."

"Heh, thanks."

She smiled that sweet smile that made him melt, "See you soon sweetie."

With that, she grabbed the small puppy and left. Dark however, just shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. He smiled, "Knew it was coming...But it still hurts like hell…"

Elizabeth danced along the stones that lead up to her grandfather's tent. It was one of the many things she had fun doing in that camp.

She had grown up in it, unaware of the dangers outside. She had always heard stories about her parents, how selfless and brave they were.

Despite the hardships the camp went through, she was resented due to her 'special treatment.' She didn't quite notice, but her grandfather spoiled her rotten.

She was fondest of him, though she was always joyous in the company of her two closest friends Sarah and Miranda.

Eventually Elizabeth stumbled into the tent, something she always did no matter how many times she tried to resist it. She got up, and her grin remained.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" she called in that sweet tone that just made the campus's residents melt.

Shadic looked up from his table he had set up, "Oh Lizzy. Hey, how's my favorite little gal?"

Elizabeth just giggled with glee, "I'm great! I found a flower outside!"

Shadic frowned, "Lizzy what did I tell you?"

Elizabeth too frowned, and looked down as she shifted her foot, hiding her hands behind her back, "I'm sorry grandpa...but it's so cold and cramped in this place...I wanna go out and explore!"

Shadic sighed, "I know sweetie, but if you wanna go out you have to have Shadow or Sarah watching you, you know that."

"Yes grandpa...I know…" she said, ashamed.

"Lemme see what type of flower you got." Shadic said, changing the subject so not to make his granddaughter feel bad.

Elizabeth grinned and showed Shadic the flower, he took it and smiled.

"It's a rose. No thorns on it too, so it's not purely wild." Shadic smiled.

"Are there more pretty flowers like that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. One day I will show you. But for now, go show Sarah and Miranda," Shadic said.

Elizabeth grinned and took the flower before running off. Shadic waited till the tent flap closed before he sighed and pulled out a packet full of blood tablets from his pocket.

"Andy would kill me for this. But I can't go after mortals and half bloods... This has to do," Shadic sighed as he dropped a tablet in a glass of water and watched as the water turned a transparent red.

Outside Shadic's tent, Shadow was sitting outside with Shadic's twin brother, Randal, who had broken his leg on the day of the attack but never truly healed. He had re-broken his leg at least three times since the attack, and this was his fourth time.

"Randal how many times have I said to not move a muscle till your leg is properly healed?!" Shadow growled as he bandaged up Randal's leg.

"You know I wanted to walk! It worked fine for ten minutes before one of the guys here knocked me over. Plus I wanted to see my brother!" Randal said.

"Your brother doesn't have time right now Randal!"

Randal's voice suddenly turned cold, "Bitch, say that again. I fucking dare you. Shadic always has time to talk to me, even on his busiest days."

"Randal, calm the fu-"

"Boys. That's enough." A voice chimed in. Both men looked up to see Tailsica.

"Uncle, please go talk to Shadic, he's been awake for three days." Tailsica said, her voice still childlike even after the attack, but it also had a hint of authority in it as well.

"Alright..." Shadow sighed and walked over to Shadic's tent, announcing his entry before going in.

Tailsica went over to Randal and sat down next to him.

"Don't try t-"

"I'm not gonna try to stop you from seeing your brother Randal. I know you have feelings for him a brother shouldn't have."

Randal's eyes widened, but Tailsica continued, "It's not hard to see it Randal. But you have to keep in mind, Shadic isn't the type of man to try different things. The only reason he started sleeping with men in the first place before the attack was-"

"Shadow fucked him at Shadic's bachelor party," Randal sighed.

"Yes," Tailsica sighed, "Randal... I want you to know that I'm with Shadic."

"I know that Tailsica..." Randal looked away from her.

Tailsica hesitated a moment before she hugged Randal, "I'm willing to allow him to be with you. I know you care deeply for him. As do I. So we can share him."

Randal laughed, "Tailsica, do you really want that type of relationship? For one, Shadic doesn't like to be shared, for two, do you even have feelings for me?"

Tailsica smiled and hugged Randal tighter. He involuntarily blushed, unsure of how to react.

"You never know. Now, I'll let you see Shadic later today, for now, allow Anthony to help you move about the camp." Tailsica said before standing and leaving Randal alone.

He wasn't alone for long as his adopted son, Anthony, who looked almost exactly like Shadic, came up to help him.

Shadow saw exactly what he expected to see, walking into that tent. Shadic was bent over a table, staring intently at a torn map. Shadow growled at this.

"Are you still chasing after those two?"

"They're alive Shadow, I know it."

"Listen, Andy is...you saw him get killed!"

"..."

"Alex, you're putting this camp and all it's survivors in danger!"

"Shut up…!"

"Why can't you just listen for once in your life?!"

"MAYBE BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA SCREW UP ANYMORE!"

"Then you can start, by listening to me! Andy is dead! And Paula would've found us by now! It's been eight thousand years Alex!"

"You don't know anything! Get out of here!"

"Fine! But don't complain to me when you're granddaughter ends up dead!"

Shadic growled angrily and before grabbed Shadow and slammed him against the table in the tent.

"LISTEN TO ME FUCKER… MY GRANDAUGHTER WILL NOT BE HARMED. UNDERSTAND FILTH BLOOD?!" Shadic snarled.

"SHADIC!" Shadow choked, "What the hell h-has gotten into you?!"

Shadic growled and showed his fangs, giving Shadow a good clue at what he wanted. Instantly Shadow kicked Shadic in the shin.

Shadic let out a yell of pain and let go of him before falling down holding his leg. Shadow reached in Shadic's pocket and pulled out a bag of blood tablets.

"Shadic what the hell!? Don't you know these can kill you?!"

"I'm not going after anyone in this camp! I hate hurting people!"

"These can kill you! Don't you understand?!"

"If I go after the people in this camp for blood you know damn well that I would be killed on the spot! I got those from a search party by the way, so I didn't steal them."

"That doesn't matter to me Alex! What matters to me is that you were purposely doing this when you know it can harm you!"

"The hell do you care?!" Shadic screamed.

"Because now that Andy's gone I have to make sure you don't get hurt doing something stupid! You're always doing something like this!"

"...Shadow…?" Shadic asked tentatively.

"Shut up idiot! I'm getting rid of these, and from now on I'm having someone check your tent for them so don't even try to take anymore!"

Before Shadic could interject anymore, Shadow turned and stormed out, the bag still in his grip. Shadic seemed perplexed, "What was that…? Does he actually...Care about me after all…?"

A tiny voice interrupted his thoughts, "Grandpa…?"

Shadic looked down, seeing Elizabeth as he was expecting to, "Uh...S-Sorry honey, what is it?"

"Why was you and mister Shadow fighting? You guys always say we should be quiet."

"Sorry... Sometimes my anger gets the best of me. It's been a long day hon," Shadic said.

"Okay...Hey, I know you said you two don't really like each other, but I beg to differ."

"How come?"

"One time while we were rationing when you was sick, I asked him if there was anymore after he finished. Then he cut himself and put his blood in a bag."

"...What?"

"You was dwinking mister Shadow's blood."

"...He told me it was deer's blood."

"I watched him do it! I swear!"

"...Oh my god."

Elizabeth blinked in confusion when her grandfather blushed and seemed to stumble, "Um...grandpa…? Is you okay…?"

"G-Go play with Miranda honey, I need a minute…"

Elizabeth nodded and rushed out, and Shadic's grip tightened on part of the table. He nearly broke off a piece of the fragile wood, but stopped himself, "No...control yourself…"

Shadic sat down and held his head in shock, "How… He… He said..."

Shadic shook his head, "No...can't think about it now...it's already done…"

He sighed as he blushed again, resting his head on one of his hands, "He was probably snickering in enjoyment when he saw me drink it. Heh, bastard."

Silver was on a wild goose chase, only it seemed at this point he had lost his target. He growled, "Damn! I can't believe this…"

He sighed, landing on the forest ground, or at least what was left of it. He paused to think, "There's no sign of him here."

He began to fly up, "I'll have to head-"

He shouted in pain and surprise when his head suddenly seemed to hit something. He looked up, but saw nothing. He put his hand up, only for it to lay flat against nothing.

Without hesitating he tested his levitation. Responsive. That was a good sign. However, he couldn't get over his limit.

He quickly flew what seemed like quite a few miles, until he hit another wall that wasn't there. He tried flying up several more times until he came to a realisation. He was trapped.

His eyes widened, "Uh oh." He glanced around rapidly, fear growing inside of him, "What is this place?! My power's been restricted! It must be another one of his traps…!"

He groaned, "Dammit, now I have to work on foot back home. And Aurora only knows when that will be. Well, time to head off. Not gonna get anywhere standing around thinking about it."

Just then he heard a twig snap, instantly he hid behind a tree and peeked out only enough to where he could see but not be seen. It took him a moment till he saw a bear.

"Oh… Just a bear..." Silver sighed and walked away slowly so not to alert the animal of his presence. He groaned after a moment, it was going to be a long night.

"Are you sure about this Tailsica?" Sarah asked.

"Of course! I wanna help! I'm tired of sitting around like a bird in a cage!"

Sarah sighed, "Alright alright. But don't whine to me when you get an earful from Shadic and Shadow. We'll have to sneak you out."

"How?"

"Hmm...I could get Miranda and some other scouters to crowd you."

Tailsica sighed, she hated lying to her uncle, and especially her boyfriend, but she knew no amount of pleading and begging would convince them to let her go.

"Come on then, I'll let grandpa know we're leaving. L-Leaving out the details about you of course!"

"Yes, yes. I know. Now hurry up. It's almost too dark."

"Right."

Sarah headed off into Shadic's tent, while Tailsica observed the camp. Her eyes fell on Shadow, who looked conflicted with something.

She frowned, "Wonder what's up with him? Probably nothing new, but still...I know how uncle can be…"

For a moment she was arguing with herself, but by the time she decided to go question him, Sarah returned.

"Okay, now hurry over behind my tent. I'll grab some survivors so we can head out."

"Err...y-yeah."

Sarah noticed her nerve racked expression as she hurried along, that's when she noticed Shadow as well. She scowled, "Well, looks like that will have to wait a moment."

Shadow was holding his head and not paying attention while Shadic walked up to him. They seemed to talk for a second before Shadic lead Shadow back to his tent. Sarah then lead Tailsica away to hide her behind her tent.

"Wait here till we leave, okay?" Sarah whispered.

"Okay…" Tailsica said nervously.

Shadow walked into Shadic's tent after they had spoken to each other. He didn't know what to expect but Shadic indicated for him to sit down.

"What is this for?" Shadow asked as he sat down at the table, taking note that Shadic had put away the map.

"Can't I talk to someone that took away the blood tablets I had?" Shadic said as he sat across from Shadow.

"You know your body cannot tolerate those things. It's only rare that vampires can tolerate Blood Tablets with no ill side effects like-"

"Andy." Shadic interrupted and he suddenly seemed sad.

Shadow stayed quiet a moment before he sighed, "Yes. Like Andy."

Shadic sighed and looked away, "Look, Shadow, about earlier, attacking you and such.. I'm sorry. I was just acting like that because…" He trailed off.

"How long has it been since you last had any actual blood…?"

Shadic stayed quiet for a long time before he crossed his arms and looked down at the table, "Six years ago, after you gave me that blood bag because I was sick."

"How have you survived this long without it..?"

"I'm not sure. But Shadow…. May I ask you a question?"

"What is it Shadic?"

"That time when I was sick, Lizzy said that you had cut yourself to help feed a few people and gave me a blood bag full of your blood…. Is that true?"

Shadow stayed quiet for a very long time before he sighed and nodded.

"Why?"

"You were sick Shadic, honestly you needed it more than anyone, same with your brother because he rebroke his leg for the first time near that time. But you refused to take any extra because you wanted to make sure the camp fed as well."

"I want to know entirely why Shadow. Why me? Why did you give me your blood knowing I had bitten you when we were just teens!? You should hate me! Not give a single shit ab-"

"Shadic. Shut it. Just listen to me, I wanted to make sure you got better. Plus, I know damn good and well that if I did not take care of you, Andy will just come back from the dead and kill me!"

Shadic looked at Shadow for a moment before he stood and went to the opening of his tent to make sure no one was nearby before closing the flap and sitting down in front of Shadow again.

"Shadow. I know it's bad to ask this, but it seems as though your blood didn't give me any bad side effects… But would you mind if I…" Shadic hesitated.

"If you what?"

"Drank some of your blood on occasion, just so I don't go after blood tablets again…"

Shadow's face turned red, Shadic looked away at his silence with a look of defeat.

"I understand if you don't want me to… I'm just asking… I'm not saying you have to, it was just a q-"

"Shadic, if it keeps you from using blood tablets and risking killing yourself, I'll do it."

"R-Really?!" Shadic yelped in surprise.

"Yes, really. But it has to be away from the camp. Best that no one thinks that you're forcing your fangs in my neck."

"Deal."

"Good. Does once every other week sound alright?"

"Yeah. Sounds alright." Shadic smiled, an innocent smile that Shadow had seen very rarely since the first attack from Hellframe.

Shadow sighed again and turned away, causing Shadic to flick his ears up and raise a brow in perplexion, "What? Is there still something wrong?"

"No. Not that you need to know anyways."

"Aw c'mon Shadow! You owe me! You did lie to me when you gave me your blood you know!"

"You seemed to enjoy it."

Shadic's face went red with both embarrassment and anger, "Sh-Shut up! You know how I am!"

"...Fine, it's not important now anyways. Not to me anyways. You should know that even if you don't think I care about you, I do."

"What?! Why?!"

"...I can't tell you that Alex, all I can say is that it's something you did. If you figure it out on your own, that's just fine, but don't come to me if you do. I will not speak of this again, understand?"

"...A-Alright…"

There was a silence before Shadic spoke up again, "You wanna stay in here tonight?"

"What?"

"It's just...you've been alone in your own tent for years now. I figured maybe you want some company."

Shadow turned and smirked at him, "Yeah, okay, but don't try to cuddle me or anything. I will kill you."

"Shut up you jerk."

"Touche."

It was only a mere few hours later that Sarah returned from scouting. She, as well as the rest of her group, was scratched up.

It was clear to see dirt and some twigs entangled in her familiar locks. She had a look of defeat on her face, one no one had seen since the attack on the kingdom.

Shadic noticed this above everything else when she stepped in, and quickly darted towards her, "Sarah! What happened?!"

Sarah looked up, her voice dry as if she had been crying, "There were so many...we had to split up...we...we couldn't find her…"

"Find who? Sweetie what're you talking about?"

"I'm sorry...we took Tailsica with us...she ran off and we couldn't go back to get her…"

Shadow's ears flicked up, and his expression changed from solemn to panicked. Shadic himself was shocked by this news, but soon turned and growled.

"It's too late in the night, in the morning I want you to gather a group. We head out at dawn."

Jumping up over a vine, Silver firmly placed his hand on a tree to keep his balance as his feet touched the ground. He was becoming increasingly frustrated with the whole situation.

"Damn. Maybe with some luck I'll find that camp everyone's been on about. Pft, yeah like that'll happen. Just keep moving Silver."

He continued on, mumbling to himself constantly. The distraction of his words caused him to once again bump into something.

At first he thought it was another "invisible wall" until he heard a soft squeak. He looked down, seeing a frightened looking fox girl.

Silver began to panic, thinking at first she had been sneaking up on him, but he paused. He could see the terror in her eyes, they looked just like…

He shook his head at the thought, "S-Sorry! Are you alright?"

The girl squeaked in response, seeming unsure of the stranger before her. He sighed, "I-It's okay. My name's Silver. I've got a camp somewhere around here. Are you okay?"

The girl nodded, and finally spoke, "I'm T. I have a camp as well. It's very big."

Silver's ears flicked up, "So it is real…"

"Hm?"

"D-Do you know where it is?!"

T looked down, tapping the points of her index fingers together, "N-No...I got seperated from my group...I don't know where I am…"

Silver groaned, "It's okay. I'm used to it. we should stay hidden out for a while till your people find us. I'll take care of you till then, okay?"

T nodded again, "Okay...I trust you…"

"Well T, it's getting dark fast, we should find some firewood, it may be risky but it beats freezing to death."

T turned slightly to go look for said wood, until a glow caught her attention. She looked back at Silver, only to see the strange symbol on the back of his glove was the source of the light.

She watched in amazement as logs of wood levitated towards them, glowing the same glow the symbol did. Silver noticed quickly and flicked his ears up again.

"Oh, that's right, I'm the last one gifted with powers like these. I have psychokinesis. I can levitate myself and other objects easily."

"Whooooa...That's so cool...!"

" Yeah, especially since this power makes it impossible for monsters like those...things...to use smell to track me. It saved my life when I was younger."

"Really?"

"Yeah…" he said, suddenly seeming depressed. He put the wood down in a pile and used his powers to light a small fire.

Putting his hands behind his back and kicking up his feet as he walked, he glanced back at T, breaking the silence that had formed, "We've all had our losses, y' know?"

T frowned at that, "Yeah…"

The silence came back as they sat down by the fire, it lasted for what seemed like an eternity before Silver decided to break it once more.

" So...what's your camp like? I heard its the best camp in this damned inferno."

T shifted nervously before she spoke, "Well...we have a leader with quite a temper on him. Though the other night...he had a panic attack."

Silver offered a sincere smile before he frowned again, it seemed he had something to say himself. It took him a few minutes before he spoke up though.

"Can't be any worse than what's been going on. I tried to fix all this once, with some friends and...it didn't work. We defeated something else but...we never defeated its cause…"

T listened carefully, seeming to catch interest in the stranger's tale. He looked like just some normal hedgehog, but something told her he wasn't from around here. She stayed silent as he continued

"What we did defeat, was a being of darkness, who attempted to consume time itself. We separated him from his source of power, but we all got cut off and scattered. That's when things got ugly…"

"I found my friend and went into hiding, she developed a sickness that knows no cure. I tried to save her but I couldn't, since I knew so little about my own power. I went into training for a while, but my master was overtaken by those monsters. It was a whole different threat from there, and I realized this "HellFrame" was worse than my old opponent."

T seemed to tense up at this, it was overwhelming to hear all this information at once, "HellFrame made most of our people blind...he used some sort of gas I think…"

Silver scoffed at that, "That's nothing compared to Iblis. He's got ahold of those cursed flames...the same flames that burned my parents alive…"

T gasped at that, tears forming in her eyes, "That's horrible!" Her ears flattened when his surprisingly calm gaze turned to meet her own saddened one.

"...Iblis destroyed everything...my parents were gifted with powers like my own, but they retired from training to have me...which made it devastating when Iblis found us…"

"We didn't really know what was going on yet. Until we heard violent slamming on our door. My mother forced me to stay hidden in a closet, and he busted in. They tried to fend him off...but their time out of training left them weak…"

"Silver…"

"They were burned alive, and I witnessed every second of it. He fled, not being able to smell me out…" Silver looked down at the dying flames as he finished.

T followed his gaze to watch as well, "I'm sorry Silver…"

"...He destroyed my home, and only a few friends and myself survived. None of them made it...I was left alone until I ran across this girl...the same girl that died of illness not too long ago…"

T's eyes absently looked at the hedgehog once more, she hadn't felt more pity for a creature since she learned about her uncle.

"...I sometimes wonder what the point is...even if I defeat him, there's nothing left...!" Silver put his face in his hands, seeming defeated.

T scowled, but she slowly shifted to wrap her arms around his waist, "There's always something left...even if you can't see it…"

Silver looked to T for a long moment before hugging her back. She slipped off to sleep in his arms and Silver sighed a bit.

"Poor girl…I can't imagine what she's seen." Silver said as he laid her gently on the ground. He lay down next to her with his back to her before he fell asleep as well.

Silver woke up groggier than usual. He hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep ever since he arrived in this strange world he used to recognize as his own.

However, the thought was snapped from his attention when he noticed something warm and furry was pressed against his back.

He blushed, knowing full well who it was. He quickly flinched away, not wanting to rile up his new ally. Silver began to sit up, preparing to look for some food when his thoughts were once again interrupted.

"T! TAILSICA! ARE YOU HERE?!"

Silver's ears flicked up at that, he turned to wake the girl, but found she was already up, "Did you hear that?"

Silver nodded, "Sounds like someone's looking for you. We better-"

"I don't think so Silver."

T looked up, only to see a hedgehog that looked nearly identical to her own uncle. Only, his stripes were grey and his eyes were a glaring green.

She shivered, just the very air around this guy was giving her the creeps. Silver growled, "That's impossible! We killed you!"

"Correction, you attempted to kill me. You were just too foolish to realise a simple fact, I cannot die. I cannot age, I cannot be killed."

Silver seemed to tense up, and T instinctively scampered behind him. The strange hedgehog noticed this, "I see you've acquainted yourself with a very dangerous girl."

"What are you talking about?! You don't know anything!"

"Funny, coming from you."

"That was different! You tricked me!"

"You are quite gullible."

"Silence! It's time to end this!"

"What have you to go back to?"

"...My friend…"

"You call this impertinent child your friend?"

" I am a friend to those in need, and I will destroy anyone who tries to hurt them!"

T smiled, true she had just met Silver. But his words were touching to say the least.

"You fool," Mephiles snapped.

"Enough of this!"

T watched in distress as Silver lunged forward and a fight began. She glanced over, hearing her name again and saw none other than Shadic and Sarah.

"Tailsica!" Shadic yelled as he hurried up to her, "Do you realise how worried we've been?!"

"Can it uncle! This isn't her fault! I'm the one that let her come!"

Shadic growled, "We don't have time, we have to go, now!"

"Wait!"

Before she could protest, she was being dragged away. It didn't help when she saw Silver was losing the battle. Tears streamed down her face, she had never felt more helpless than in that moment.

Shadow sat intently, his arms crossed. Everyone could see he was stressed, but they knew better than to bother him about it.

His eyes snapped open and his ears shot up as he heard rapid footsteps approaching. He growled, at first thinking it was intruders.

He slowly peeked past the large flap of the tent that towered over the others. He gasped, seeing Shadic and the others running towards the camp with Tailsica.

He moved as so not to get run down, and the entire group panted heavily. However, Shadow took note of Tailsica's expression.

He could see tear stains on her cheeks, but she looked extremely upset as well. He scowled, "What happened? Where did you find her?"

"Why…?"

Shadic's ears flicked up, not recognising the malice in the tone that his mate had spoken with, "Wh-What?"

Tailsica looked up, her bangs moving aside, "Why…?"

"I-I don't understa-"

He never finished his sentence as a hard slap sent him to the ground. Gently putting a hand on his cheek, he stared up at Tailsica in surprise.

"T-Tailsica...what…?"

Shadow's growl interjected, as he grabbed Shadic by his own chest fur and pulled him up, "What did you do?!"

Shadic yelped in fear, knowing what Shadow was capable of, "W-We had to leave a couple people behind! They were fighting we had to get her out of there!"

"So you abandoned other survivors?!" he shouted, throwing Shadic back onto the dirt ground.

"ONE OF THEM WAS FIGHTING TO PROTECT ME!" Tailsica shrieked.

Everyone turned her way, seeing that she was once again crying. The anger and hatred in her eyes made her seem like a complete stranger to those who had known her.

"I...HATE YOU!"

Before Shadic could protest, she turned and ran, hiding in her tent. He began to get up to give chase, but Shadow grabbed him and forced him to sit back down.

"You're not going anywhere. I think you've done enough damage today."

Shadic sighed. Guess that's another thing to add to the list of fuck ups he thought.

The next three days were silent, but awkward. It wasn't the fact that Shadic had upset Tailsica in the first place that made Shadow's skin crawl.

It was that he had been avoiding any contact with her ever since. True it was hard for any of them to talk to her after what had happened, but it was no excuse.

Sarah herself had been trying hard to forget the rage she had seen in Tailsica's eyes that day. It all seemed like a nightmare.

All their thoughts were interrupted when Violet stepped up and spoke, "Shadic, there's a shambler outside. He's unconscious and I don't know if we can help him."

"How come?" he asked.

"He's mortal."

Shadic sighed, "Bring him in here. I'll see what I can do at least."

Violet turned and walked back outside. She came back supporting said "mortal" with one arm over her shoulder. Everyone could tell right off the bat he was a hedgehog.

Though his white fur was torn, tangled, and worst of all stained with blood and scratches. Shadic gasped in surprise at the severity of his injuries.

"Set him down, it looks really bad!"

The hedgehog groaned in pain as Violet laid him down on a table that was set up for emergencies such as this one, "Calm yourself. Tell us what happened."

"...W-We were attacked…!"

"Who? You had another?"

"Y-Yes my friend! I couldn't find her!"

"S-Silver?"

Everyone looked up, knowing full well who it was. Tailsica stared at the familiar hedgehog fearfully, "Oh my god…! What did that monster do to you…?!"

She pushed past Shadic and hovered over the wounded man, "Quickly! Someone get a first aid kit!"

Shadow finally stepped forward, his expression reeking of perplexion, "So...you must be that fellow who kept our T safe a few days back. Nice to meet-"

"What are you on about?" Silver suddenly interjected.

Shadow blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"C'mon Shads, I know I'm not your favorite person or anything, but don't act like you don't know me."

"How do you know my name?"

"Hey...what's up with the glasses?"

"I can't help but feel like we're missing some context here."

Tailsica finally interrupted them, "Silver, you're wounded pretty bad, I think your mind is playing tricks on you, please, get some rest."

Silver stayed quiet for a moment before he sighed and nodded, "Very well."

It didn't take Silver long to fall asleep and Tailsica got a first aid kit to patch up Silver. It was at this time that Shadow noticed that Shadic was watching from a distance.

Shadic turned and went to his tent, seeming furious, Shadow followed him.

"Shadic?" Shadow asked as he lifted the tent flap out of the way.

"What…?" Shadic asked, sounding really depressed. He was at the table, staring blankly at the map he always had.

"Look, I don't give a damn what happened three days ago, but I agreed to leave her in your care because I thought you would do better. Seems you haven't been living up to that lately," Shadow said.

"She hates me right now," Shadic stated.

"That's a weakness that will get you killed if you're not careful. But you have to choose whether you want another chance or not…" Shadow said, his tone getting sadder.

Shadic sighed and rested his head on the table sadly, "I do want another chance with her… But I keep messing it up…!"

Shadow put a hand on his other arm, and sighed, "...Don't make the mistakes I made...I don't want you to be miserable like I was." With that, he turned and left.

With a sigh, Shadic stood and went over to the sleeping bag in his tent before laying down, he slipped off to sleep for the time being.

That night, Silver was in Tailsica's tent talking with her, he was covered in bandages as well as he spoke with her.

"I see. Your people were just trying to protect you T." Silver said.

"I know. But I didn't wanna leave you Silver."

"You shouldn't hold it against them. I made that mistake once with one of my friends."

Tailsica's ears flattened against her head and she looked down at her hands. Silver could tell she was conflicted in her head, "...I'm not gonna let that monster hurt you...any of you. I promise you that."

Tailsica smiled at this, and nodded, "Thanks Silver." Silver's smile curled into a frown as he rubbed his head, "So...about that hedgehog…"

"Yeah?" Tailsica asked.

"Well...I know one that looks exactly like him."

"You mean that monster?"

"No. Not him, someone else. His name is Shadow too, but he's not as...compassionate as yours seems to be."

"Silver, that's not possible. There can't be two. Unless they're twins?"

"No. Shadow was created, not born. I'd say it's an android, but this one doesn't have yellow stripes."

"So then, what do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe my friend Sonic knows. He's been around longer."

"Sonic...I think I've heard that name before."

"Wouldn't surprise me. Poor guy, can't escape his fame no matter how far he runs."

Tailsica giggled, "So he's fast huh? I know someone else who's pretty fast too."

Silver's ears flicked up, "Yeah? I'm sure he'll be interested in racing them." He shook his head, snorting, then he looked up at Tailsica again.

"So...is your name really just T?"

"Huh? Oh...it's just a nickname."

"Heh, well, identity doesn't seem to matter nowadays."

"Yeah…"

Silver looked down sadly, both hands resting on his lap. He sighed, and Tailsica took his as a sign to console him, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Huh? O-Oh...i-it's nothing, really I'm fine," Silver said, hesitantly. Tailsica's ears flattened in uncertainty, but just as she was about to interject, a flap of the tent was moved.

"T? Can I talk to you please?"

Tailsica glared at the familiar face, then turned her gaze away, huffing. She crossed her arms before saying, "I dunno, are you gonna abandon Silver again?"

Shadic's ears folded back, recognizing the cold tone, "N-No I...I just wanna talk."

Silver glanced at his friend worriedly, "T, it's fine. I don't mind."

Tailsica sighed, "Alright...fine..."

Shadic smiled, as did Silver. But both their smiles diverted into nerve-racked expressions as Tailsica lashed her tail on the way out.

Silver sighed, slapping the palm of his hand against his own face. He knew it was going to be a while before Tailsica would return.

Shadow was meditating near the entrance of the camp as usual, until his nose twitched. His eyes snapped open, and he caught sight of Tailsica and Shadic heading towards said entrance.

He followed quickly once he was sure they were out, and stayed hidden behind the flaps of the tent. Tailsica's tail lashed once more as she turned to Shadic.

"Well? What is it?" she snapped. Shadic's ears folded back against his head again, and he gulped before speaking, "T-Tailsica look...I'm sorry. I didn't know he was helping you."

"So? What do you want? A medal?"

"I want you to give me another chance."

Tailsica growled as her tail, once again, lashed, "I've given you plenty of chances Shadic! Every time you blew it! Why should I give you one more?!"

Shadic seemed to be near the verge of tears, and his voice was filled with depression as he chose his words carefully.

"I-I... I just want to try again... I know I have a temper, I know I tend to do the wrong things I-I just…" he sighed before continuing, "...I just...want to have your trust again…"

Shadow gripped his chest, something about the sadness in Shadic's voice tore him apart. He looked down, Why did it have to be you…? he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tailsica sighed, "This is your last chance Shadic. If you mess up again, I will send you out of this camp, and I will take over until we can find another leader."

"I-I understand Tailsica."

"C'mere you prick, and stop looking so defeated."

Shadic's ears flicked up, and he smiled. He leaned in for a kiss, but Tailsica put a finger on his lips, "What're you doing? I meant a hug."

Shadic seemed confused as he lifted his head off her finger. She sighed, "Listen, we have issues. And I can't keep ignoring that. I just wanna be friends right now okay?"

Shadic looked down, "Oh...okay…"

Tailsica sighed again, and gave him a tight hug, "You're cute when you're upset."

Shadic blushed, but didn't hesitate to return the gesture. Shadow smiled slightly, Too bad...the one-sided bond just keeps me holding back...oh well, so be it.

It had been quiet, too quiet. Emily didn't like it one bit. She strode through the forest with haste but was careful not to drop her sleeping brother.

"Damn...not here either. I swear I've searched the entire planet at this point. Except for that castle. Aleena forbid I should ever go there."

The boy stirred, coughing as he woke, "Sis…? Where are we…? Did we find it yet…?"

"No Tyler. Just go back to sleep."

"I can't. I keep having nightmares."

Emily's ears folded back at the sadness in her brother's voice, "Oh Ty…"

She suddenly stiffened as a faint but familiar scent caught her attention. She turned, ready to head straight for it, but gasped to find it's source right in front of her.

"Margona!"

She put her brother down, quickly hurrying to her sister's body, "The body's still intact...it's true what they say...our bodies do last a long time even out of captivity."

This fact didn't make her feel any better however, as tears began flowing down her cheeks, "Oh sister...I am so sorry! I never should have left…! You could've made it if I had just…!"

A tug on her pants distracted her from her sorrows, "Sis? Is that her…?"

She turned to her little brother, wiping away her tears, "She's in a better place now Tyler. Come here,"

Emily pulled the weak boy into a gentle hug. He too began to weep, unable to take much more of the horrors this world brought.

She looked up at what sky she could, many leaves on the trees surrounding them blocking most of it, "...Please let the others be alright...I can't fail my mission...not now."

Emily hoisted the small boy back onto her back and carried on once more. She had made it was seemed like miles before she heard voices.

Instinctively she hid in the trees, hoping they would not detect her. But her ears flicked up shock as she heard clear voices below shout, "We can smell you! Come out!"

She growled, "Damn!"

Emily jumped down, careful not to drop her brother. She looked up, only to see a gray wolf girl with black markings on her hair.

"Who're you?"

"I-I'm Emily. This is my brother Tyler, he's very sick. Do any of you know a hedgehog with black and red fur?"

"I do. He's my grandfather."

"Grandfather?!"

"What is it that you want with him?"

"Please! Take me to him!"

"That's not happening."

"You don't understand! I need to see him!"

One of the many other people in the group interrupted, "If I may Sarah, we could always just keep our weapons pointed at her. She won't have anywhere to go."

"I don't trust this Kiera. Something's wrong here."

"That's what you said last time and it was nothing! Come on, she seems pretty desperate! Besides, your grandpa says we cannot leave survivors alone!"

Sarah growled, she was right, "Fine. But we're keeping an eye on you both."

"Thank you, you have no ide-"

"Shut up and start moving."

Emily scowled, "As you wish, your highness."

It was a normal day amongst the camp, Shadic was in his tent planning their next move, Tailsica was just hanging out with Silver, Elizabeth was playing with Miranda and Shadow was meditating.

Elizabeth quickly grew bored however, and wandered off. Miranda shook her head and decided to play with some other kids.

Elizabeth slowly but surely wandered out the entrance of the camp and over to the forestation just nearby. A rustle in the trees startled her, "Eep...!"

She shivered in fear, thinking it could be a monster of some sort, until a familiar looking face poked out from the trees.

"Miss Sarah? You're back already?"

"Uh oh. Listen kid, I need you to be quiet."

"Huh? You're not Sarah! Who are you?"

The man looked to the left and then to the right before speaking, "Can you keep a secret?"

Elizabeth nodded, gesturing with her fingers as if she had a zipper on her mouth.

"I'm not Sarah, but I'm...a friend of hers. I can't stay long, I'm on a mission."

"So you're like a secret agent?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Have you ever met the queen? She's my mommy!"

"Sorry kid, haven't seen her in years."

"You know her too? But you don't know where she is…"

"Listen, I gotta go. It's important."

Elizabeth nodded, "Good luck!"

And with that, the strange man was gone. Elizabeth scratched her head in confusion, "What a strange fellow."

That's when she heard more voices, and turned her head, "Huh?"

It was the scavenger group returning from their daily search. But they were all crowded in a circle of some sort. Elizabeth decided to hurry inside before she got into trouble.

Shadow sensed Elizabeth's distress, though he knew she had wandered outside. He opened his eyes, and his nose twitched as his senses alerted him to the group's approach.

But one scent was very faintly familiar, he couldn't put his finger on it though. He got up and watched the entrance, waiting for them to enter.

Once they did, everyone was perplexed at their formation. It was like a circle. Sarah nodded, "Clear. Keep your weapons on them."

Some of the people in the group moved, revealing a frustrated hedgehog girl, carrying a distressed black fox on her back.

Shadow's eyes widened, "Oh my god…"

The girl looked around, until her eyes locked on Shadow. The boy looked up, "Is that him sis…?"

She nodded, seeming to shake slightly. Sarah noticed their stares at each other, and put up a hand, signaling the others to back off.

Small feet touched the ground as the girl put the small child down. She stared nervously as Shadow approached her, and the boy hid behind her leg.

Once he stopped right in front of her she waited, expecting to hear him scream, yell, something, anything for what she had done.

It was a surprise when instead, she was pulled into a tight hug. She returned the gesture of course, tears forming. Her ears perked up as Shadow spoke up.

"Another one of my baby girls is grown up…you have no idea how much we've missed you Emily…"

Emily smiled, and nodded. She let go of her father, turning to her little brother, "Dad...this is…'Tyler.'"

Shadow looked over to the small child she had referred to, and blinked. The child tensed up, instantly standing up straight as if he was lined up in a military.

He walked up and picked up the frightened child. The boy didn't know what to expect, but relaxed when he found himself resting on his father's chest.

Tyler sighed in relief, and slowly slipped off to sleep. Shadow smiled, but frowned again, "...He's sick."

"Y-Yes," Emily admitted, "But he is a pureblood. He survived an early transformation, but I did not intend for him to do it so early. I had no idea he had done it."

Shadow turned and handed Tyler over to another person that had been watching as everyone else in the camp, "Take him to the medical tent. Fetch Tailsica while you're at it."

The person nodded and hurried off. Emily glanced up at Shadow, "So...who's left besides mother?"

Shadow glanced at his daughter, "Well, there's Shadic, and many more you've missed since you've been gone. Which I must ask you about."

"Uncle Shadic?!"

"Err, yeah. What's wrong?"

"...Where is he?"

Shadow pointed, "That tent there. Hurry though, I have questions for you, young lady."

Emily giggled at the remark, "Yes sir."

Shadic nearly ripped his own hair out. It was becoming clearer to him each day that it wasn't going to be easy to find Paula, but he had to try.

He growled when he heard someone come in, "If it's Lizzy, go play right now, and if it's anyone else, piss off. I'm busy."

"Too busy to talk to your favorite niece?"

His ears flicked up, and his eyes widened. It couldn't be...could it? He turned around, and his suspicions were confirmed.

Emily smiled at his shocked expression, "So, how's this for a magic trick?"

"...H-How…? How are you here?!"

"It's a long story. But I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I-I don't understand."

Emily sighed, "You were supposed to be dead. But yet here you are."

Shadic scratched his head, "I-I don't know."

"Did someone save you?"

"No, I don't think so. Andy just told me to run, so I did."

"He could have saved you! Where is he?!"

"I….. I don't know. I've been looking for him this entire time."

"Do you think-"

"No. He's not dead Emily. He can't be. He just…" Shadic held his face in his hands, "Ah who am I kidding…?! I saw the damn thing go right through his chest!"

"Uncle..?"

"Just… Leave me be for now Emily. G-Go get to know the camp, and send Sarah in. I'll tell her not to try and kill you."

Emily stayed where she was for a long moment before she nodded, she turned and left the tent, leaving her uncle alone.

Andy had been living in the forest ever since the first attack that HellFrame did on the kingdom. When that happened he had an axe stabbed through his chest, and he was just amazed that he was still alive.

After he had encountered the girl near Shadic's camp, he had ran through the forest and back to the cave where he had been living ever since he found a trusted friend, which he almost killed the first day they met.

"Zato!" Andy gasped and began to shake a large sleeping form of a half wolf, half snake. A Naga with a yellow, black and red striped pattern on his snake half of his body.

"Gnn…" The form growled in his sleep.

"Zato wake up! I brought food for us." Andy said as he shook the form again, this time putting the carcass of a rabbit in front of the sleeping Naga.

Zato groaned awake and looked to the rabbit, finally he sat up and arched his back, letting out a yawn.

"There you go Zato!" Andy said with a grin.

"Where did you get the rabbit?" Zato asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Andy frowned a bit and looked away, "The camp I keep an eye on has traps set for animals. I took it from one of those traps."

"I thought you hated ssstealing..." Zato said, his forked tongue flicking out with his long S sound.

"I do! But it feeds us doesn't it?! Let's.. Let's just cook this and then I'll get a quick wash up in the lake." Andy sighed.

"Very well Andy.."

Andy ran out of the cave and disappeared for a while before coming back with a couple small logs and twigs for a fire. Zato started the fire while Andy skinned and gutted the rabbit with a sharp rock that he found.

"Why are you sssso interesssted in that camp?" Zato asked.

"It has my daughter in it Zato, along with my little sister and wife." Andy said, having no clue that his wife was dead.

Zato had come across the body of Andy's wife once before in one of his paths, he had moved it away to make sure Andy had no clue about what had happened, the naga had some pity for the little vampire.

Zato sighed and nodded, pretending he had no clue that Andy's late wife wasn't in the camp.

"I sssee…"

"Okay, I think that the rabbit is done. CATTAN!" Andy yelled into the cave.

A soft meow was heard and then the pitter-patter of soft paws on rock. A black cat with glowing yellow eyes came in and Andy nodded to the pile of guts from the rabbit.

"You want me to cook these for you or will you eat them raw?"

"Mrow." The cat replied before crouching down next to the pile and began to eat.

Andy went over to the fire as he used the rock to split the rabbit in half before placing the halves on the fire.

Zato lay on his side, a deep scar showing on his chest, Andy's ears flattened against his head, he had caused that scar the very first day he had met Zato.

"Zato…" Andy started, but Zato raised a hand.

"You have apologized about thisss many timesss. I have forgiven you."

Andy let a smile across his lips, at least Andy somewhat had the same scar on his own chest as well from the axe. Zato watched Andy for a long moment before he used his snake tail, and wrapped it around Andy.

Andy's ears perked in surprise as he was dragged to the other side of the fire and set against the stomach of Zato.

"Zato?" Andy asked.

"Your body hasss heat. I'm cold blooded, remember?"

Andy's cheeks turned a faint tint of red, Zato had never let Andy near him like this, especially for warmth. But nevertheless, Andy thought it was nice that Zato was allowing it.

Eventually the rabbit was cooked and Andy and Zato ate their halves happily, though since Zato was bigger, and Andy rarely ate all his half of the rabbit, Andy handed over half of his half.

"I gotta wash up alright?"

"Don't sssstay out after dark," Zato said as he ate the rabbit.

"Alright." Andy said as he got up and left the cave.

Zato stayed where he was, before he cursed at himself and followed the path Andy always took to the lake.

"What the hell am I doing…?" Zato whispered to himself as he followed Andy's scent trail, slithering as silently as he could.

Andy was already in the lake, his entire body minus his head submerged as he sat in the lake, allowing the water to clean off a few layers of filth from the past few days. He didn't hear anything enter the water until he felt something brush by his foot.

"Huh..?" Andy sat up a bit, water dripping down his hair and his back.

He felt something brush by his arm and he gasped in fear, moving away from the thing. He saw a dark form in the water, and for a wild moment Andy thought that the form was a Raccat.

Andy was about ready to scream for help, but a hand jutted out of the water, covering his mouth as another hand held him still. Then Zato's head poked out from the water as he rose up, still keeping his hand over Andy's mouth.

"Don't… Sssscream… It hurtssss my earssss…" Zato whispered.

Andy nodded vigorously, showing he understood. Zato slowly removed his hand, and Andy stayed quiet for a long moment before he spoke up.

"Why are you here?! I thought you hated the lake at this time of day!" Andy exclaimed.

"I do hate it. But I mussst do thissss at leassst once…"

"What are you-" Andy didn't finish the sentence as Zato pulled him into a kiss.

Andy's face flared up with red as their lips connected. He was too shocked to react but eventually Zato broke the kiss.

"Z-Zato… Why did you..?"

"Even if you ssshoved your hand through my chessst… You ssstayed after you healed me… You have proved that you are trussstworthy."

"Z...Zato… Y-you know I can't do this..! I'm married! I cant just-"

"Your wife thinksss you're dead… Thisss isssn't cheating…" Zato said, stealing another kiss from Andy.

This time Andy returned the favor after a moment's hesitation.

That night the forest was filled with sounds of a forbidden love with Naga and Vampire.

The next day at the camp was quiet as a few people had gathered in Shadic's tent. Elizabeth and Miranda counted off everyone that had entered.

Tailsica, Shadow, Emily, Randal, Violet, Sarah…

Miranda seemed just as perplexed as Elizabeth, though they knew they couldn't interrupt this one. Elizabeth just turned and played with a stick.

As Violet entered, it was a bit crowded around the table, but she stayed quiet. Emily was sitting in the only chair, indicating she had been the one to call them here.

"Hello everyone, I called you all here to explain a few things and to share with you some...interesting information I've gathered," Emily said.

Shadic nodded, "Alright then. Spill it. What's up?"

"First things first, all those years back I disappeared without a trace. I saw someone who urged me to follow, and, being the young fool that I was, did so."

Shadow groaned, "Em...c'mon now, what did I tell you?"

"I know dad. Anyways, he took me to another location, or should I say...another time?"

Everyone seemed to freeze in shock at this. Shadic spoke first, "But...that's not possible!"

"Why do you think I still look so young? Besides, Riku did the same to a lot of people."

"How did you know about that?!" Shadic growled.

"Ah, that's simple. See, that person's name was Duster. However, he was no older than I was, and yet had training with a samurai sword," Emily answered.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"He can see events in the past! Anyways, he trained me and I've been hiding out in my own camp ever since. Now, onto the information I've gathered…"

Emily suddenly stood up and threw a manilla folder onto the table, the papers inside sliding out a bit, "Your new friend is known as a 'Mobian.'"

Shadow's ears flicked up, "I've heard of them. They're a lot like us, but all mortal blood."

"Precisely. But I learned something very interesting about you daddy."

"Me? I'm not a Mobian!"

"No, not you exactly. But the other Shadow."

Tailsica looked up, "So Silver was right?!"

Emily nodded, "See, that Shadow has an interesting file. An accident occurred on Mobious many years back. There was an advanced laboratory known as the Space Colony ARK."

Shadow nodded, "Yes?"

"The Mobian government suspected that their recent project was a threat to their planet. Project Shadow. After they invaded the lab and killed everyone involved, they found him."

Tailsica tensed at this, "What happened then?"

Emily sighed, "Well, the main scientists granddaughter helped Shadow escape. She died in the process, but Shadow remained in a state of suspended animation."

"Once he had awoken, he was angry and tried to destroy Mobious, but for an unknown reason he had a change of heart. At first they thought he had died, but it turned out he merely crash landed onto the planet."

Shadic cringed, "Ouch. That's a long fall."

Emily nodded, "Yes. He was in a coma for a long time but got back up in time. He doesn't do much to help anyone now, but he was a Freedom Fighter for a short time after he woke up."

Shadow still seemed perplexed, "But I still don't get it, I'm here. Who am I? Where did I come from?"

Emily tensed, "...I'll get to the point, you know of the tyrant over there do you not?"

Everyone nodded.

"He tried to resurrect his fallen cousin, using his own DNA and a prick of fur from one of Shadow's quills. It worked, but she was a troublesome child."

A brow raised on Shadow's face, "What's her name?"

"...Maria."

"That's impossible!"

Emily waved her index finger back and forth, "Now now, let me finish. She heard of Shadow and her origin, and stole some of the fur samples Robotnik had collected."

"...No…"

"She didn't know he was in a coma, and thought he was dead. So she decided to make a new one. I don't know how she did it, but she ended up putting the creation into another dimension entirely."

"Holy shit."

Emily scowled, "I don't know happened to her, but Robotnik created another one, so I assumed she died. That one is the one you know as your mate."

Everyone just stared at Shadow, while he began to have a mental breakdown. The information turned in his head, "So...I'm just a copy…?"

Emily nodded. Shadic spoke up.

"Shadow… Calm down, please..!"

"HOW CAN I BE A COPY!?" Shadow snapped at Shadic, causing the male to flinch away in fear.

Everyone was suddenly pulled from their thoughts however when someone opened up the tent flap, "Mister Shadic sir! We found him! He's alive!"

Andy was just looking for food as usual, though it seemed to be taking longer, "Damn. It's getting harder to find even a mouse nowadays."

His ears perked up as a scream reached him, "What the-?!"

He ran in the direction of the scream quickly, stopping only a few feet from his destination. A young but still mature hedgehog girl was shielding what looked like a clone of Shadow.

Lastly he spotted an unconscious girl with the first woman's fur, but long pink hair and a monstrous creature towering over her.

He growled, and bared his fangs, tackling the creature down. The woman gasped, "Oh my god! It's not possible!"

It was nearly ten minutes before Andy finally put the creature down, tearing half it's face right off like it was tissue.

He spat out the bitter flesh, but immediately fell nearly half unconscious to the ground. The woman shrieked and hurried to his side, "Andy! Andy are you alright?!"

"I don't think he hit anything vital...C-Could you carry me…? I kind of...Have a hole in my hip…"

"Oh sweetie," she sighed.

Slowly she helped Andy up and glanced at the young child, "Carlos, could you help your sister please?"

Carlos nodded, "Yes mommy."

Carlos hurried over and even with his small size, somehow managed to bring the other girl over his shoulder.

Andy sighed, it was going to be a long walk, especially with his wound, but he was also slowly losing blood.

Shadic nearly pushed everyone to the ground to get outside. He noticed immediately the woman helping him walk.

She looked up, seeming distressed, "Shadic? Is that you?!"

"Bring him in here Maria! We need to treat those wounds!"

Maria nodded, and shuffled inside quickly, and her son followed suit. Once inside, Shadic took Andy from Maria and ordered the others to tend to her and her children.

Sarah poked her head out of the tent she was in, and gasped. She was frozen in shock, and billions of questions had been running through her head as Shadic helped Andy into the medical tent.

Shadow himself became impatient and exited the tent. His eyes widened when he spotted his mate and children. He rushed over to them quicker than Shadic had run outside.

Miranda rushed over to Sarah, seeming just as confused, "H-How is he here?! Sarah what's going on?!"

"I-I don't...He's...He's not...But I…"

Miranda nearly broke down herself when she saw Sarah was having a mental break down. All they could do now was sit and wait.

It was hours before Shadic came out of the medical tent, he had blood all over his stomach and hands, most of it wasn't his. Sarah was next to the opening.

"It took a while for me to stop his bleeding, but he's fine now. Just needs to stay down and make sure he doesn't push himself for a while," Shadic said.

"C-Can I see him...?" Sarah asked nervously.

"Go on ahead hon. I need to get this blood off... Though I think I can lick most of it off my hands," Shadic joked as he walked away from the tent.

Sarah instantly went into the tent and saw her father lying on a halfway blood-soaked sleeping bag. His eyes were closed but as soon as he heard the footsteps his eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up.

"D-Daddy! No!" Sarah exclaimed as she knelt down and made him lay down again.

"Gahh… Wha- where am I?" Andy groaned as he held his head.

"D-Daddy…"

Andy's ears perked up a bit and he looked up at his daughter. He stayed still for a long moment before he sat up and hugged her tightly.

"Sarah...! Oh sweetie thank Dracula you're safe!" Andy said, his voice thick with both happiness and grief.

Sarah felt tears well up in her eyes and she hugged her father back tighter than what he was doing, "You're really alive…! You're really..!" She sniffled, trying not to sob.

"Shhh sweetie pie… I'm here.. I'm here now… I won't leave you…!" Andy whispered as he gently pet his daughter's head. Sarah finally let out a sob into Andy's shoulder, letting out all the emotions she had held in for so long.

"D-Daddyyyyyyy…!" She sobbed.

Outside the tent, Shadic was just outside the entrance using a puddle to clean off the blood on his stomach and arms. His ears flicked up when he heard uneven footsteps and looked to see his twin brother.

"Randal…! What are you doing?! You shouldn't be up without any help!" Shadic exclaimed as he quickly went over to his brother, supporting him.

"It was crowded in the medical tent.. And Anthony is out on scavenging with a few others… Plus… I wanted to make sure you were okay big brother…"

"Randy I'm fine. I'm a little shocked that Andy is still alive, but I'm fine."

"You're more than shocked Alex. I can feel what you feel remember?"

Shadic sighed, "Can't even lie to you. Yes. I'm actually afraid that Andy is alive, for one thing, I thought he was dead for the longest time, even if I sent out people looking for him, for two, I don't know what to tell him about his wife."

"We'll figure out a way big brother..." Randal hugged Shadic.

Shadic hugged his brother back, though he was confused at how he felt that Randal's heart was beating faster each time that they were this close together.

"Come on little brother. You can stay in my tent a few days." Shadic said as he lead his brother back into camp.

Days past before Andy was allowed to wander out of the medical tent. His first time out he nearly ran back in because everyone crowded him at once, even the blind people. But Shadic managed to get the crowd to disperse.

Now Andy was able to walk short distances from the tent and back. He was actually walking up to Miranda's tent when she came out.

They froze on the spot, seeming shocked for a moment, they hadn't seen each other since he came into the camp. Andy broke their silence.

"You... Look healthier than when I um… 'died'" Andy said with a nervous grin.

Miranda stayed still for a moment more before she suddenly ran towards her brother. Andy let out a yelp that was quickly cut off as she tackled him to the ground.

"AH! MIRANDA!" Andy gasped, feeling a sharp pain in his leg from the wound. Luckily he didn't feel anything wet there.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH BIG BROTHERRR!" Miranda sobbed.

People began to stop and stare at the scene, but Miranda didn't care at all. She gripped Andy's torn up shirt as she sobbed into his chest.

"Shh little sis… I'm here… I ain't leavin you…" Andy whispered as his sister sobbed onto his chest.

He gently hugged her as she cried. Eventually she calmed down and Andy sat up, holding her close. Then he noticed the people staring.

"What?! Leave us be! She thought I was dead okay?!" Andy snarled, suddenly very protective of his little sister, wrapping his arms around her.

The people quickly scattered, but one remained, Shadic. He walked up to Andy and sat on his knees next to the siblings.

"Don't even tr-" Andy started, but was quickly interrupted by Shadic.

"I am not trying to separate you two. Andy, when you have time, I wish that you come to my tent. Alright?"

"Okay," Andy said. Shadic smiled before he stood again and walked away.

Eventually Miranda went to her tent again, Andy managed to stand by himself and limped over to Shadic's tent.

"Shadic?" Andy asked as he moved the tent flap aside.

"Close the flap Andy. It's what little privacy I can have with you." Shadic said.

"Okay. What do you need me for?" Andy asked as he closed the flap, when he turned around he was pulled into an embrace by Shadic.

"S-Shadic! T-there's no need to hug me!" Andy yelped.

"Yes there is Andy. I thought you were dead," Shadic let go of Andy and looked in his face, as if trying to find out if he was real, "But tell me... Tell me why you faked it! You could have told me, gave me a sign, something!"

"I'm sorry Shadic. I had to recover after the ax in my chest, and I also had to regain my power. I'm one of the only lights left," Andy said.

"I know… I-I saw Asurath die… I just…"

"I understand Shadic," Andy smiled, "There's no need to worry. I understand."

"Wait...How did you survive that? It was an ax in your chest!"

"By some miraculous amount of luck, he missed my arteries by just a pinprick."

"...This cannot be happening right now."

"Anyways, where's-"

"Why do you smell like a naga?"

A bright red hue covered Andy's face at the very question, "Err...What are you...talking about…?"

"Annnndyyyyyy…"

"I have no idea what you're on about."

"Yeah right! You're as red as a tomato! Andy, seriously! Why did you do something like...that...at a time like this?!"

"It's a stress relieving activity! And you're one to talk!"

"I haven't done that since this entire thing started!" Shadic exclaimed.

"Ugh! I have my reasons. Besides, he was nice to me."

"Oh it was a he now?"

"SHUT UP!" Andy's face was pure red, he was really embarrassed.

"Where is this Naga?" Shadic asked, changing the subject.

"He's a mile north of the lake, in a cave. But if one of your people could send a message to him that i'm okay th-"

Suddenly there was a crash at the entrance of the camp. Screaming was heard instantly as a loud hissing sound was heard.

"WHERE ISSS HE!?" An enraged voice screamed.

"...That's the naga isn't it?" Shadic said, seeming unsurprised.

"Uh… Yeah… Lemme just… Imma go try to calm him down," Andy said as he ran out of the tent, Shadic following after him.

Zato was in the middle of the camp, hissing in pure rage at anyone that ran. Andy ran up to him, trying to get the angry Naga's attention.

"Zato! ZATO! DOWN HERE!" Andy screamed.

Zato's ears shot upward and he looked down to see Andy. Instantly the large beast wrapped his snake tail around him, seeing blood on Andy's side.

"What did they do to you!?" Zato demanded.

"They didn't do anything! Zato these people helped me! Please calm down!" Andy exclaimed.

Zato brought Andy close to his face and stared directly into the male's eyes, looking for any sign of lying. Eventually he relaxed and set Andy down, lowering himself down to his stomach.

"See..? It's alright Zato..!" Andy said softly.

"I don't trussst thessse people…" Zato hissed.

Sarah ran up, seeming scared, instantly Zato tensed up, ready for attack, but a hand on his shoulder made him relax.

"Daddy what the HELL!?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Sarah, sweetie, it's alright! He was just trying to protect me!" Andy explained.

"Why did he attack us?! He put a hole in our entrance the size of a mountain!"

"As I said, he was trying to protect me. I saved his life, not to mention nearly ending it when we first met, look, he's basically harmless if you keep him fed."

"Harmless my ass!" Shadic spoke up as he walked up, but he had a cocky smile on him, "Let's keep him."

"WHAT?!" Sarah shrieked.

"Well we kept Luke didn't we? A naga is no different. Though… From what I heard Naga's are giants. He's only a few sizes bigger than us."

"I wasss a runt…" Zato hissed, still staying close to Andy.

"Hm. Well then. Zato is it? How would you like to stay here in the camp, you can protect your… mate, and we'll keep you fed as well." Shadic smiled.

"Shadic." Andy said sharply, but no one seemed to notice what Shadic said other than allowing the large half-snake man to stay.

Zato seemed to think about it for a long moment before he wrapped his tail around Andy once more.

"Fine… I'll sssstay…" He said slowly.

"Good! Now. Would you mind fixing the hole you made? I'd rather the camp stay alive tonight," Shadic said.

Zato hesitated, seeming to not want to leave Andy, but then he moved away, helping the other people in the camp fix the damage he had caused.

Shadic was just looking over the map again when he received an unexpected visit from Silver. His ears flicked up, this would be interesting.

"Shadic right? For the leader you seem a little twitchy."

"Is it that noticeable? Damn."

"I've heard from Sarah you've been more concerned with finding your daughter lately. That's sadly setting everyone else back."

"I just want to know that she's okay."

"Listen, your daughter was the queen before all this right? What we she be more concerned about right now? Herself...or her people?"

Shadic's ears flattened against his head, "What would you know about my daughter?"

"I know a monarch myself. Though we can't really read 'im, we know he's devoted to his country. He would always put his people before himself."

"...I-I can't...I have to find her…!"

"If she wanted to be around a crowd I'm sure she would've turned up by now. I think she's trying to stay under the radar."

"...A-Alright...but that can't be the only thing you came so say."

"Well no. I also came to tell you that this camp needs lots of work. We need to take HellFrame down. We can't live like this forever."

Shadic paused to think, he was right. They couldn't live like this forever, especially not with little kids like Elizabeth around. They needed to do something, and now.

"Alright, what exactly do you have in mind?"

"We're not ready yet, far from it...but I'm thinking once we are a full on assault on that castle. If we train hard enough we should be more than stronger than his army."

"Okay, but wait...don't you have your own group?" Shadic asked.

"...I'm sure someone else is...taking care of them in my absence…"

"..."

"Anyways, I'm gonna need your help. Anyone here know combat?"

"Um...just...about six of us."

"...Oh my god," Silver gently slapped his face.

"Heh… Looks like we got a lot of work cut out for us." Shadic said sheepishly.

"More than a lot of work. Looks like this will take a few weeks."

"Then we better get started," Shadic said.

Silver's ears suddenly flicked up, "Er...yeah, just hold up I gotta do something first."

"Um...sure. Go on ahead."

Silver left hurriedly, seeming anxious all the sudden. Eventually he reached Tailsica's tent, and stepped in, "H-Hey…"

Tailsica looked up and smiled, "Oh Silver! What's up?"

"Um...I need to talk to you…"

"What is it? Is Shadic being mean to you?"

"Wh-What? No...no he's actually been pretty nice. A-Anyways, I talked with him and we decided we need to prepare the group."

"Prepare the group? What for?"

"...For an attack…"

"What?!" Tailsica shrieked in surprise.

"Calm down! Calm down! I mean an attack on the castle."

"So...what's your point?"

"My point is that once I help your group get back on their feet...I have to leave and finish what I started…"

"I don't understand. What're you talking about?!"

"HellFrame managed to get ahold of Iblis. And with that kind of power...he'll be untouchable. I have to destroy Iblis before he figures out how to control him!"

"But why alone? I don't get it!"

"It's sort of a promise I made to an old friend...but I'll be fine, that's a promise I'm making to you. I'll leave HellFrame to you, but Iblis is my business. I don't want this getting worse cause I messed up."

"Oh...okay…"

Tailsica looked down, suddenly seeming upset. Silver sighed, and put a hand under her chin, forcing it up so that she would look at him.

"Hey, I swear once I've finished I'll come back alright? Besides, I'm not leaving yet, I've got work to do before that! So just perk up and smile alright?"

Tailsica smiled and nodded. Though Silver didn't notice the faint blush on her face as she practically glomped him in a hug.

In the bushes, Zato was dead asleep till he heard Tailsica and Silver talking. He lifted up his head and looked to see them talking.

"Hmm… Thossse two are ssso good for eachother…" Zato smiled before he slithered off silently, so not to disturb the two.

Elizabeth watched while some of the camp's residents trained with each other in combat, receiving coaching from both her grandfather and Sarah's own father.

She sighed, "I wish we could twain too, but gwandpa says we're too young."

Miranda rolled her eyes, "Do you really wanna fight people Lizzy?"

"N-No but-"

"Just trust mister Silver, he knows what he's doing."

"Sure does, but his hair looks kinda funny."

"Lizzy!"

"I'm sowwy but it doooeees!"

Miranda sighed, looking to the side, "Just go play with your toys Lizzy."

"Yay!"

Andy watched intently as his daughter hit every last middle point in the targets that had been setup. It was hard to believe that just a few years ago she couldn't hurt a fly.

Once she had run out of arrows, she turned back to her father, "You know, you shouldn't be teaching combat with that wound. It's not healing very quickly either."

"I know, kinda strange, it should've been by now. But I'm tired of sitting around. I need to repay my debt to you guys."

"Dad, we're not angry with you. What is it with you lately? It's like you think we hate you or something."

"I'm just trying not to repeat my history."

"What? What do you mean? Did...Did you disappear on someone else?"

"...Not really, don't worry about it."

Sarah sighed, "You're almost as stubborn as uncle Shadic. No wonder you two are friends."

Andy blushed in embarrassment, "I am not!"

"Oh please, it's so bad that you gave it to me."

"No, you got that from your mother!"

Sarah's eyes suddenly widened at the mention of her, and she looked down intently. Andy snapped to seeing this, and tilted his head in perplextion.

"What's the matter?"

"I-I um-"

"Annnndyyyy….."

Sarah growled, as she looked up she saw the familiar but annoying presence she'd only known for a short while, "What is it Zato?" She asked.

Zato slithered up and wrapped his tail around Andy, something he had been doing often since moving into the camp. "I jussst want to ssspeak with your father, isss that a crime?"

"I just don't like how often you keep showing up." Sarah growled.

"Um.. I-I think I'll just wait at the entrance Zato..." Andy stammered as he got out of Zato's coils and quickly left to avoid what he thought would be a fight.

Once Andy was out of sight Zato turned to Sarah, but he actually seemed concerned for Andy.

"Lisssten Sssarah. Andy doesssn't know that hisss wife isss dead. I moved her body to a sssafer location when I sssaw it on one of my pathsss..."

"Why have you kept that information from him?! He should know!"

"I've ssseen when he wasss missssing you and hisss ssssisssster. He didn't move for dayssss. I knew he would have been worssse than that."

"... You really kept him happy all this time..?"

Zato nodded, "I didn't want him to be sssad. I've done my bessst… But don't tell him that ssshe is dead yet. Okay?"

"... Fine. I won't tell him yet. But in the meantime, I want you to stop wrapping your coils around him all the time. I'm worried about that wound of his. It's already reopened twice today."

Zato stayed quiet for a long time before he nodded, "I'll cut down on wrapping my tail around him. Until hisss wound isss healed."

"Thanks Zato. Now go and make sure Daddy doesn't hurt himself alright?"

Zato slithered off to the entrance where Andy was waiting.

"What did you two talk about?"

"How good of a ssshot sssshe isss... Let'sss go check the rabbit trapssss..." Zato said as he gently pushed Andy out the entrance so they could do so without talking about much else other than food.

As they were checking the traps, Andy finally piped up, "Hey Zato, how long does your kind live?"

"Dependsss... Some live for thirty thousssand… Some live for longer."

"How old are you?"

"Forty-thousssand."

"You don't look that old."

Zato chuckled a bit as he unhooked a hanging rabbit from a trap. "Nagasss don't age like Vampiressss..."

"I can tell." Andy smiled, Zato smiled back and they continued to gather more rabbits inside the traps that were set.

Shadic was out in the forest training by himself, he didn't want people watching him as he trained, mostly because he was letting out all his frustrations on trees.

He held a sword in his hand, he was sweating as well having been training for hours as he stared at the tree he had been slashing at, a large dent carved into it.

Finally Shadic allowed himself to rest as he stabbed the sword into the ground before sitting and leaning against the blade.

"Hah… Damn… Now I feel better…" Shadic chuckled a bit as he wiped sweat off his brow.

"You should," A voice said, causing Shadic to look up and see Shadow.

"It looked like you were ready to kill something. What's got you in a twist?" Shadow asked.

Shadic's ears flattened and he looked away, "Nothing," He replied, his voice thick with anger.

"Listen here Shadic. I know you're mad at something. Now what is it?"

"Hmph."

"I'm not leaving till you tell me," Shadow said as he sat down next to Shadic.

Shadic remained quiet.

Shadow sighed, "It's that Silver guy isn't it? He's taking Tailsica after you two broke up."

Shadic's tense shoulders seemed to relax a bit and he nodded, "Yes. I don't like that. Tailsica and I have been together for a long time now…! I still have feelings for her but it seems the feeling isn't mutual. She's already going for the pot head," he sighed.

"Shadic. Tailsica will always have feelings for you. No matter how you see it. She broke up with you because you made a huge mistake by taking her away from Silver."

"I was trying to protect her! Why doesn't she see that?! I was worried about her!" Shadic exclaimed.

Shadow sighed, he wasn't going to get through to Shadic, "Look. Just think about it for a while. Tailsica has moved on. Maybe you should too."

With that, Shadow stood and walked out of the clearing. Shadic stood and took the blade out of the ground and stared at his reflection in it.

At that moment he swore he would one day be Tailsica's. Even if he had to spill innocent blood to do so. He pressed the blade against his hand and sliced it open as a dark purple glow formed around him.

"With the blood I spill today, Blood from the hedgehog will one day be spilled. And I will witness his death to see the light fade from his eyes..." Shadic hissed as his blood dripped into the dark circle, causing it to turn a dark red.

"The deal is sealed…" A voice whispered and then everything returned to normal, though Shadic let his hand fall at his side, blood dripping down his fingertips.

The smile on his face was cruel and wicked, he had sealed Silver's fate for sometime in the future. He just hoped it was soon.

There was a commotion at the entrance as many of the camp's residents were warding off unwanted visitors, "Get back! You are not welcome here!"

Silver got out of the tent he had set up for himself and walked up to the crowd, "What's going on? Move aside."

The crowd did so, clearing a path for him. Silver's ears flicked up when he saw two familiar faces, "Sonic, Cream!"

One of the two was a fairly mature looking rabbit girl with cream fur and a small tuft of orange hair peeking between the top of her long ears.

The other was another hedgehog with green eyes and blue fur, though he bore a crown and red cape, indicating he was royalty.

The girl moved aside, revealing a hedgehog that looked exactly like Shadow, save the glasses and scarf. Silver's face suddenly turned half mortified, "H-Hey...b-b-buddy…!"

"Spare me. I could sense danger somewhere in this area. Figured you'd get yourself into trouble sooner or later."

"I-I have no clue what you're talking about Shadz! I'm perfectly fine! These guys have been pretty nice, and I've actually been training them."

The grumpy hedgehog scoffed, "Silver, didn't anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers? Now we have to leave, the danger I sensed is directed towards you."

"Well that's strange. I don't have any issues with anyone here."

"You're still just the stupid boy you were when you first came here. Now let's go, we can't stay here anymore," he growled.

"I'm afraid we don't take kindly to rude guests."

The irritated hedgehog glanced up, and the crowd moved aside again revealing Shadow, "So, you must be the original. At least I know where I got my anger problems."

"Who the hell are you?!"

"It's a long story, but I'm not an android if that's what you're thinking. I'm actually cloned from your DNA. I've actually kinda been hopin' to meet you."

Silver noticed his friend's angered expression and put his hands in front him, "Hey now Shadz! It's okay! He's no threat!"

Shadow watched as the angered hedgehog slowly lowered his shaking fists, "...Fine. But I told you we're leaving."

"Mister Shadow, I think we should hear Silver out on this one," the girl suddenly interjected.

"What?!"

"They have kids here, and we don't know the first thing about these creatures. Now's a perfect time to learn what we're up against here."

"...I suppose you're right. Fine. But only for a little while."

Shadow tilted his head, "How come you're showing up just now by the way?"

"I sensed danger directed towards the idiot here," the other Shadow said as he pointed to Silver.

Shadow's ears flicked up, "...son of a bitch…"

"What?"

"Listen, um...I'll get to you later. I'm gonna just go wait for someone."

Before anyone could protest Shadow disappeared into Shadic's tent. That's when Silver turned to the other Shadow again, "So...can we like...just call you Shadz for now? You know...To kinda let you guys know who we're talking to."

"Oh hell no-"

The blue one smirked, "That's a great idea Silver!"

The girl however scowled, "Yeah, no. I'm just calling him what I always call him."

"Aw c'mon Cream, lighten up!"

"Burn in hell."

"That's the spirit!"

When Shadic returned to his tent, he was surprised to see Shadow sitting there waiting for him. He stiffened, hoping he wasn't about to get a beating.

Shadow looked up, and growled, "What did you do?"

Shadic blinked, "What're you talking about?"

"A party from Silver's group just arrived because they sensed a danger that was directed towards him."

"...I-I don't know what you're talking abou-"

"Answer me Alex, or I'll have to beat that answer out of you."

"I have done nothing Shadow!" Shadic exclaimed as he set his sword on the floor, involuntarily revealing his injured hand.

Shadow stood and grabbed Shadic's hand and looked at the wound, "What the hell did you do?!"

"Nothing!"

Shadow pulled Shadic's ear that was always flopped over itself, causing the wolf to yelp in pain.

"OW THAT'S MY EAR YOU PRICK!"

"WHAT DID YOU SET ON SILVER?!" Shadow screamed, pulling the ear harder.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT I'LL TELL YOU JUST LET LOOSE!"

Shadow growled, letting go of Shadic's ear but keeping his grip on his wrist firm, "Spit it out. And maybe I won't murder you."

"...I-I put a curse on him…"

"...You what…?"

Shadic looked down, "I made a deal...He will die...And I will witness every second of it…"

Shadow growled, but then he sighed. Looking down, he whispered something that Shadic could just barely make out, "Why are you so stupid…?"

"Huh?"

Shadow finally let loose his grip on Shadic and made for the exit of the tent, "I-I don't understand Shadow."

The hedgehog stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at him, "...I'm going to let you live with the fact that in that moment, you will make her miserable."

Shadic starred, knowing there was more behind the reason Shadow had released his grip on him, but waited.

"...It's like I told you...Maybe if you had just moved on, you would've found you didn't need her to be happy…"

At first Shadic was still confused, but as his friend turned away again and left, he noticed just a little peek of a bite mark left between the hedgehog's shoulder and neck.

"...Oh fuck…"

Tailsica smiled lightly as she was introduced to the new guests, "So, King Sonic, Commander Shadz, and Cream? Such lovely names."

"Thanks...I'm told that a lot" Cream said, seeming dead in her tone.

Sonic leaned in, putting a hand on the side of his mouth, "Would ya believe it if I told ya she used to make crowns outta flowers?"

Tailsica shook her head, "No, not really. But then again, she does seem to look sweet enough for that."

Silver rubbed the back of his head nervously, "So um...sorry for worrying you guys, I kinda got tied up and totally forgot why I left the group in the first place."

"Aw that's alright pal, you were just tryin' to lend a hand. I can respect that," Sonic said, trying to lift his friend's spirits.

"Oh please Sonic, no one here is worth the dirt on your shoes."

Tailsica scowled, "What's your problem?!"

"The adults are talking, now hush."

Silver growled, "That's enough! Leave her alone!"

"Oh? Are you challenging me?"

"Depends, you trying to pick a fight?!"

Sonic suddenly got in between the two, "Hey! Knock it off the both of you!"

Shadz growled, "Stay out of this faker! This is between me and the boy!"

"Will you stop calling me that?! I have a name!"

"Really? I don't care."

"GUYS ENOUGH!" Tailsica screamed. Everyone turned and looked to her in dead shock at her tone.

Shadz growled again, "I don't listen to stupid children."

Tailsica returned a growl herself, her eyes turning red. Everyone perplexed at this, "Listen, asshole, you may not give a shit about anyone but yourself, but this isn't about you!"

"Why you little-"

"In fact, you're so unbearable it's a wonder why our Shadow is so selfless. You're nothing more than a coward, and as soon as this is over, you can fuck off and do whatever the hell you want."

Cream suddenly scowled, "How dare you?! He risked his life to save me and taught me how to defend myself! You have no right to insult him!"

Sonic sighed, "Hey! This is getting out of hand, and I want all of you to ask yourselves, who's a bigger threat right now?"

The tense air seemed to calm and Tailsica growled, "Just keep your asshole friend's mouth shut. I don't wanna hear anything out of him."

Sonic rubbed the back of his head nervously, but nodded. However, they all stood in shock as once the fox's eyes reverted back to normal she passed out and fell.

Silver caught her, but didn't see any wounds or anything that could've caused her to suddenly pass out like she had, "I-I'll just take her back to her tent."

Sonic once again nodded, "Yeah, you do that."

Amy seemed more than stressed, it was hard enough keeping her daughters alive, but dragging Luna with her was even more difficult.

Especially since they had long ago buried David's body instead of allowing Luna to carry it around with her magic. It didn't help Dark had gone missing.

Despite all this, Amy continued on, a barely conscious Krystel resting on her back. Bonnie just learned to keep her mouth shut at this point.

Suddenly, Amy stopped. Pain hit her like a brick and she collapsed. Bonnie gasped, and Luna's ears flicked up. Krystel rolled off her mother's back, and lifted her head.

"Mom!" Bonnie shouted in distress.

Amy gripped at her chest, quivering and jittering as her eyes and ears gave little twitches. After several minutes she began to cough up blood.

"Oh my god…! Luna what do we do?!" Bonnie cried, glancing at the mortified alicorn.

Luna's ears flattened, and her legs finally gave out. She put her hooves on her head, keeping her ears pressed down in order to block out any noises.

Krystel groaned, and slowly sat up, "M-Mom…?"

Bonnie quickly covered her sister's eyes, "Don't look Krys!"

They all listened in horror as the keening hisses Amy made turned to silence. Bonnie looked up, seeing her mother completely limp.

"Oh my god…!" she yelped.

Krystel began sobbing, "What is it Bon Bon…? Why won't you let me look…?!"

Bonnie slowly stood up with Krystel, and inched to Luna. She tried relentlessly to get the mare to stand up, respond, something.

But it seemed this time she wouldn't get up again. Bonnie sighed, "Ba ba...why did you have to disappear like this…? I don't know what to do…!"

Bella tensed up as she felt the force of life slip from her senses. She looked down, scowling intensely, "Mother…" Talon heard this, and turned his head.

He himself hadn't been doing very well, he hated that had to sit and wait like this. He growled, and suddenly stood up, "I can't do this anymore."

"Tal-"

"Sorry Bells, but I'm tired of sitting around. I have to go out there and find them."

"Talon, your father is strong! He can take care of himself!"

"But he's aged a lot! He could be getting weaker!"

Bella sighed, "There's just no talking to you about this is there?!"

"Nope," Talon said, though he showed no amusement in his response.

"Sam!"

A young gray wolf with stars on fur that pulled over his face like bangs ran up after a few minutes. He barked and then sat obediently.

Bella sighed again, "What? No goodbye at least?"

Talon smiled, and walked back to his wife. After planting a quick kiss on her lips, his hand absently wandered onto her stomach, "Stay safe."

Bella smirked, "Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you."

"Ha ha Bells, seriously. I don't want-"

"I know how to take care of myself, just go."

Talon sighed, "So stubborn. Hope they're not like you in that regard."

He turned and left, the dog following behind him. Bella just sighed, "I do hope that he knows what he's doing. Aleena knows what trouble he can get into…"

-

Small paws dipped into the waters of the lake as did a pair of feet. The young pup looked up at his new master sadly, but he only got a look of pure regret in return.

The pup's master was a bit intimidating at first, but after a while his whole look seemed to grow on the pup. He was extremely tall, and was clearly a red fox at first glance.

He was also covered in stitches and scars, and the mark on his bangs was unsettling to say the least. The pup remembered seeing something that looked similar to it carved into pumpkins during the fall.

He didn't quite know what it was for, but it seemed to be a celebration of some sort. The man sighed, "How did it ever get like this…?"

The pup didn't really do much to respond, outside a tilt of his head. The man smiled, "Oh right. You probably can't understand me. Oh well. I'll roll with it."

The pup just wagged his tail a bit, anticipating a movement from his master but nothing happened. "Well, since we're stuck with each other, I suppose I should give you a name."

The pup made a strange sound, it wasn't a whine, but it wasn't a bark either. The man tapped his chin, "Hmm...how about...Fluffy?"

His nose scrunched up at that, and the man laughed, "Aw c'mon! I always wanted a dog with that name anyways!"

At first it seemed the pup wouldn't comply, but he made the strange sound he had made before and the man took that as a sign of approval.

"My name's Razor by the way, not that you'll need to know. Buuut it's only fair that I give you my name since I just named you."

The newly named Fluffy wagged his tail a bit as Razor stood and then gave a small bark. Razor looked down at the pup and smiled.

"Let's see if I can find a ball for you," Razor chuckled.

Blue eyes watched the moon carefully, though they were still restricted by the entrance of a cave. A soft tapping of feet pulled her from her thoughts however.

She turned, seeing her mate with an empty bag slumped over his shoulder, "...I suppose it's time for me to go find food again."

She nodded, "Yes. And perhaps soon we won't have to hide."

Her mate tensed at the statement, "I doubt it Paula. It's been eight thousand years. Though I think he stopped looking for you, it's still gonna be a while before they're ready."

"Just be careful Henry. I don't want to be alone out here."

Henry smiled, "Hey, I'm still here aren't I? I'll be fine."

Paula watched worriedly as he passed by her and disappeared between the trees. All she did after was wait. And wait. And wait.

Paula tensed when the sun began to rise, and still her mate had not returned. But still she waited, until she saw the sun set once more.

She knew something was not right. Carefully covering her necklace with her cloak, she stepped out of the cave for the first time since she had first entered it.

It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, but she fell to her knees at what she saw. Henry was lying limp, his bag and clothes stained with blood.

"...Oh my god…"

She gently reached a hand out and put it on his head, moving his bangs away from his closed eyes. She sniffled, "I'm sorry Henry...this is all my fault...if I hadn't gotten involved with you…"

Her words faded and she stood, and left quickly. Once she reached the cave again, she put her hand on her necklace, "...Be ready, they will need you soon…"

Silver was in Tailsica's tent, packing up the food she had prepared for him. He turned to grab stuff off the next shelf, but noticed she was staring solemnly at the small fire she had made.

"Is everything okay?"

Tailsica's ears suddenly flick up, and she looked up at Silver sadly, "I really wish you wouldn't go…"

Silver sighed, and after finishing his packing walked over and gently hugged her, "It's just as hard for me too...but this is something I have to do…"

Tailsica returned his embrace, tears forming in her eyes. Silver sighed again, and planted a kiss on her head. Her ears flicked up in response, and she blushed.

He noticed this, and let go. Before he left, he had stared solemnly into her eyes as if to apologise for something. Tailsica sat there, trying to rationalise what had just happened.

After a while, she smiled. She had a lot to think about.

"Are you sure we're ready uncle?" Sarah said, worriedly.

Shadic nodded in reply, "We have our weapons and we've trained hard the past few months. We head out at dawn and attack."

Violet chimed in as well, "Remember, leave Iblis to Silver. That's their problem, not ours. Focus on the threat."

She turned her gaze to Andy, "Are you sure you wanna be the one to challenge him?"

"I'm sure. I'll make him pay for what he's done to my frie-"

"No you're not."

Everyone looked up as Shadow stepped in the tent, "You're not going in that castle as far as I'm concerned. I'll be the one to slay him."

Shadic growled, "Out of the question!"

"Don't tell me what to do idiot. Besides, we all know the clock is ticking on my life. We know that converted mortals don't live too long."

Shadic's ears flattened against his head, "...Sh-Shadow you don't need to do this! There has to be someone else-"

"I've made up my mind Alex. You're not stopping me."

Violet stared at Shadow before speaking, "You've been thinking about this a lot haven't you?"

Shadow nodded, "It has to be me. But I want no word of this reaching Tailsica, understand?"

Everyone nodded, though they were still tense.

Andy suddenly groaned a bit and held his side in pain, Shadic went over to Andy and made him sit down.

"You shouldn't be standing this long Andy... And you shouldn't fight in this battle if that wound won't heal."

"I'm the only Dracula damned light here Shadic!" Andy snarled, "I will fight!"

Shadic's ears flattened against his head at Andy's anger,but he understood it as well. With a sigh, Shadic nodded.

"Daddy, you need some rest," Sarah said.

"I won't rest till this meeting is over."

Shadow glanced at Shadic once more, a pained look in his eyes. At first Shadic thought he was regretting his decision, but then he realised what it was.

"...Take care of her, and do it right this time, understand?"

"I understand…" Shadic said.

Violet nodded, "Alright everyone, disband. We wake at the crack of dawn."

With that, everyone left, except for Sarah, "Hey...uncle…?"

Shadic's ears flicked up at this, "Hm? What is it sweetie?"

"Do you...do you think we'll win…?"

He sighed, "...I-I don't know Sarah...but we can only try."

Sarah nodded, then left. Shadic once again sighed, "But...I do have my regrets…"

Zato looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Andy coming back from the meeting.

"How wasss it?" Zato asked.

"We fight tomorrow. But Shadic thinks I shouldn't fight because of my wound."

"It keepsss reopening. You have to keep that in mind."

"I know it does. But I will fight if it's the last thing I do."

Zato used his tail and wrapped it around Andy's body before holding him close to his body for warmth.

"I will fight with you guysss…" Zato said.

"Zato no! It's best that you hide! I'd rather you not get hurt," Andy said.

"Too late. I'm fighting to protect you," Zato said.

"... You're way too stubborn. There's no changing your mind is there?"

"No. I'll fight with your group." Zato yawned and rested his head on Andy's shoulder.

Andy chuckled a bit and pat Zato's head gently.

"Get some rest okay?" Andy said.

"Sssame with you…" Zato murmured as he fell asleep.

Andy smiled and looked up at the moon. Though he knew he could not sleep that night. He just stared up at the almost full moon before glancing at Shadic's tent as the light went out there.

"Use your full power…" Andy whispered.

Paula watched as the sun just barely peeked out over the horizon. She gripped her necklace tightly, becoming tense, "...Go, they will need you."

Three of the four charms glowed brightly then became dim and gray. They began cracking and eventually broke apart.

Paula watched as three blue lights escaped from their prisons and hurried off into the forest. She fell to her knees, "...Please hurry…"

The large and many leaves kept them hidden as the entire camp looked out on the castle that seemed just centimeters away now.

Violet turned to Tailsica and some others who were opening what looked like first aid kits, "Remember, do not leave this spot until the monsters have been eradicated. You can start treating men after that."

They all nodded, and Shadic stood up, "Alright. Everyone ready."

Sarah nodded, "I've got my bow ready and loaded."

Violet scoffed, "I can take these mindless drones."

Shadow crossed his arms, "If you are.

Andy glanced up at Zato, pulling out a sword, "Ready."

Andy then turned his gaze to Shadic and tossed the sword towards him, "Catch."

Shadic stared at him confused.

"I don't really need it. I've got my powers after all. I'll be fine."

Shadic nodded, and turned back to the leafs in front of him, glaring at the castle, "...It's time, on my go...read-"

"Just a sec there ace."

All ears flicked up and gazes of all kinds turned to see three familiar figures standing there.

Shadow's eyes widened in surprise, "Asurath, David...M-Margona…?!"

Margo smiled, "What? Did you really think we were gonna miss out on the fun?"

Sarah was the first to ask the big question, "But...how?!"

Asurath frowned, "Lights don't go to spirit mountain. They are sealed somewhere else."

"And where would that be?" Shadow asked.

"...The queen's necklace."

Shadic nearly fell over at that, "So...Paula...she's alive…?! Where is she…?!"

Margo shook her head, "She's hiding right now. Besides, we have more important matters Shadic."

"I-I understand."

Margo was almost tackled down as she felt a crushing hug on her side and looked to see Andy was the one doing so.

"I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!" Andy screamed, unaware that Margo was dead still.

"O-Of course I am Andy... I am always alright.." Margo said with a small smile.

"Andy... Control yourself." Zato said.

Andy quickly let go of Margo and blushed badly in embarrassment before he went regretfully over to Zato so not to embarrass himself more.

Shadic spoke up after a moment, "I'm glad you guys are here. It wouldn't be the same without you."

"Of course." David said, "I wouldn't miss a fight."

"Neither would we..." A new voice spoke up, everyone turned to see Gorse and Dark's spirits walking up.

"D-Dad…?!"

"Hey son. Yes I'm dead. So don't try to touch me or you'll fall right through. Anyways. We came to lend a hand." Dark indicated behind him to show an army of snarling werewolves.

"W-What..?!"

"The alpha died during the first attack. But. The Alpha bit you ,Shadic, along with the one that gave you the power to change into one." Dark said.

"Wh-What do you mean…?!"

"Shadic," Gorse said, "You are now the alpha werewolf. These werewolves are at your command."

Shadic stayed dead still for a moment before he smirked and gave his sword to Shadow as his body turned fluffier. He fell onto all four limbs and snarled gleefully as his body turned more wolfish looking before he turned into a full werewolf.

"Good, at least you accept that," Dark smirked and crossed his arms. He then turned to Sarah, "Oh by the way. You get a spirit to help out with your archery. I know you can hit a bullseye from a mile off, but that's unmoving. You are gonna be moving today."

"What do you mean?"

"Archer." Gorse turned to reveal a strange spirit that no one had ever seen. He was in armor, but the air around that spirit showed he was not to be messed with, "One of the very first four lights. He will be your servant for the day."

Sarah stayed still a moment before she grinned, it was like Christmas for her. "I accept."

"Of course, Dark and I will be joining in the fight. We bring out the worst in each other, may as well make it a good thing." Gorse said.

Shadic nodded, he could not speak in his werewolf form, but he was glad that his father was joining in the fight. Sarah quickly mounted on his back and got her bow ready.

She took his nod as a sign to give the command, "...CHARGE!"

There was no hesitation as every last person save for those who had been unpacking medical supplies charged at the castle.

It didn't take long for the men on the other side to figure out they were under attack, and near billions of monsters were set against them.

Blood splattered and limbs flew, it was the most horrific thing anyone could have witnessed. Tailsica was watching just like the other medics, and began to cry.

When one was about to comfort her however, her eyes once again turned red and she growled. Before they could stop her, she was in the battlefield.

During all this, Shadow had already fought his way to the door. He tried to pick it with a paperclip but he turned when something hit his head.

He looked around, then down and saw keys. He picked them up, but looked up again to look for someone that could've thrown them.

That's when he saw Tailsica, and she winked, "See you soon, this is my last battle using this body."

He smiled, and quickly unlocked the door and headed inside. He knew it was going to be a while before he reached his target.

Silver slowly walked up to the containment unit that held the thrashing ball of fire. He glared harshly at it, as he wound his hand back.

Swinging it with full force, he sent a wave of his power crashing through the glass confinement and growled as alarms began to go off.

Though over the loud noise of said alarms, he could hear screaming and shouting. He tensed, knowing Tailsica was out there with them, "...Good luck."

Shadow hurried down the surprisingly empty halls, traversing floor after floor until he finally reached his destination. He growled at the familiar figure just sitting on his throne seeming unconcerned.

"HellFrame…"

"Ah, so the little rat has come to end me once and for all. How tragic a fate indeed."

He rolled his eyes in mock as he rested his cheek on a curled up fist. Shadow growled again, "I'm not playing around HellFrame. Or are you afraid to fight like a man?!"

"Oh no no no, it's not like that at all Shadow. It's just that...I have better things to do than fight filthy rats."

"Joke while you can, your castle is under siege as we speak."

"I noticed," HellFrame said annoyed as a rumble caused a bit of dust to shake down from the ceiling.

He finally stood, sighing in annoyance, "Fine then. I'll humour you, rat."

"Hedgehog."

"RAT. I'll give you the first shot. But if you waste it, you'll regret it dearly."

Shadow smirked, "Oh contraire...I think you'll be feeling a lot of regret real soon."

HellFrame frowned, "Enough talk, if you're going to kill me then come on and try it!"

Shadow growled, a red spear-like energy forming in his hand, "Vampire...SPEAR!"

-

Tailsica carefully snuck in when it seemed no one was looking. She glanced around, "Let's see, if I were a psychopathic plant woman where would I-"

A blast in the wall interrupted her sentence and she saw a familiar figure float out, "Silver? What's he doing here?"

That's when she noticed another hedgehog, or...monster of some sort. It looked like a hedgehog, but the figure itself seemed to be made of crystals.

Silver panted heavily, "Stay out of this Mephiles! Or else I'll make sure there'll be no body to find of you!"

Mephiles shook his head, "Sorry Silver, but I'm afraid your services are no longer required."

With what seemed like a gentle tap on his head, Silver fell to the ground with a hard crash. He groaned in immense pain, and tried fruitlessly to get up.

Mephiles landed down in front of him, "Say goodnight, pest."

Silver merely growled in response, but his eyes closed tightly as a purple ball of energy began forming on the tip of Mephiles's finger.

He waited for a while, but when nothing happened, Silver opened his eyes and looked up, "...T?"

Tailsica shook her head, "Not exactly."

"So it seems you remained after all, even after all I've done to get rid of you," Mephiles said as he lowered his hand.

Silver growled, "You won't get away with this! I'll kill you just like I did before!"

"You never even managed to do that."

Shadic slammed a Raccat against the wall while Sarah held onto his fur to keep from falling off his back, he instantly grabbed the squirming enemy's head in his jaws and ripped off it's head, causing an instant death to the beast.

"Grandpa I think you're enjoying this too much!" Sarah exclaimed.

Shadic replied with a snarl, true, he did enjoy killing these things, but he had a reason to kill.

"Come on! There's more I think I can shoot with Archer."

Shadic swiped his tongue over his muzzle and let out a howl, long and low, this set the army of werewolves to become more violent to the enemy.

With a gleeful wolfish grin, Shadic ran off with Sarah on his back, slashing and biting any Raccat that came into his line of attack. Sarah continued toshoot arrows into the heads of targets, the help with Archer improved her aim immensely.

Andy was fighting next to Zato, the Naga was biting Raccats and leaving them writhing in agony, it only took Andy that moment to realize Zato was a poisonous Naga.

They were backed into a corner, Zato hissing in rage at Raccats that got close to him.

"Z-Zato what are we gonna do?!" Andy yelped, having only enough power to help finish the battle, but not enough to save themselves.

Zato seemed to think a moment before he smirked, "Your wife is a piecce of ssshit."

Andy's ears perked and his eyes turned red while black started to go to the whites of his eyes, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"You heard me. A piece of ssshit."

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Andy's voice mixed with one of the seven deadly sins, Zato instantly went out of his line of sight as Wrath took full control of Andy's body.

It was only a matter of minutes before Andy's entire body was soaked in blood and he stood over the bodies of Raccats. His eyes returned to normal and he breathed heavily. Zato slithered up to Andy and wrapped his tail around him.

"Good j- AGH!" Zato yelped in pain as he felt something stab his tail, he jerked his tail away from Andy and saw a sharp rock stabbed into him.

He looked to Andy in shock. Andy just glared at him, his face dripping with blood, "Never insult my wife again."

Andy turned and stormed off, the very air around him saying that he wasn't to be messed with. Zato hesitated before he took the rock out of his tail and quickly followed Andy.

"Andy… I'm ssssorry. We needed to get out of there…!"

"I don't give a fuck. You insulted her!" Andy turned onto Zato and glared right into the Naga's eyes.

"We may have fucked, but it doesn't give you the right to insult my wife! Now learn to take a hint and leave me alone right now!" Andy snarled before turning away and walking away from Zato.

Zato stayed still for a long moment before he nodded, he understood Andy's anger and knew it was only temporary, but just to be safe, he slithered off in a different direction to fight.

Gorse and Dark were fighting back to back, unarmed other than their fists even as spirits.

"Having fun prick?" Gorse asked as he shoved his thumbs into the eyes of a Raccat and tossing it aside.

"Oh you know it!" Dark exclaimed, punching a Raccat away from him.

They backed up to where their backs ran against each other, they glanced back at eachother then they smirked.

"Been a long time since we've used this move," Dark chuckled facing a horde of Raccats.

"Think these spirit bodies can handle it?"

"Oh hell yeah." Dark chuckled.

"Let's do it."

They pressed their backs together to where there was no space between them, they both closed their eyes as a glow formed around them both.

"Vampire…." Gorse whispered as the glow formed brighter, blinding the advancing Raccats.

Both their eyes opened and their colors both turned a deep blood red, "COMBINE!" They screamed.

There was a bright flash, once again blinding the Raccats, when they looked they saw a man that looked like both Dark and Gorse at the same time.

Their bodies had merged together, creating a being more powerful than Dark and or Gorse alone. The being smirked.

"Ready for this Dark?" Said the being in Gorse's voice.

"Hell yeah." Dark replied.

The being jumped up before slamming back down with a massive stomp, causing the very ground to shake and crack underneath the Raccats. some fell into the ground only to have it close over them.

The Raccats screamed in fear and tried to run, but the combined Dark and Gorse attacked what was left, ripping out hearts and ripping off heads or limbs, whatever they could get to.

Eventually they cleared out enough Raccats to where they could stop attacking, they stood on the ground as a glow formed at their chest before consuming the entire body.

Once the glow faded, Gorse and Dark were standing next to each other. They turned to face each other and smirked before they gave a high five.

"We still got it old man!" Gorse laughed.

"Fuck yeah we do!" Dark smirked, "Let's go kill some more."

"Agreed."

Both men ran off into the middle of the battlefield.

Sarah and Shadic had finally managed to get into the castle, Shadic's muzzle was now caked in blood but he found a puddle to get most of it off, turning the water red.

"Where are we...?" Sarah asked, "This doesn't look like the castle I remember…"

Shadic let out a wolfish groan in reply, he was unsettled by the castle even though it was once his home. He slowly walked, the silence of the castle was unsettling compared to the noise that he had heard outside.

Sarah seemed to sense Shadic's unease and gently pat his head, trying to keep him calm.

"Widow sweet… Widow sweet.." Sarah murmured.

They turned down a hall and instantly they saw Tailsica get slammed against a wall.

"AGH!" She screamed and slid a couple inches before full on falling to the floor. She hit the ground hard.

Shadic let out a yelp and instantly ran to her, nuzzling his nose under her back before managing to slide her body on his shoulders with Sarah.

Sarah put a hand on Tailsica's stomach to steady her, but she saw many wounds on the girl she had known since she was little.

"T-Tailsica…?"

The girl groaned and managed to roll over a bit on Shadic's shoulders, "Not.. Exactly… Her.. Past.. Self.." Tailsica groaned.

Shadic turned his head and gently nuzzled her cheek as if he was trying to say not to push herself.

"Hn... Always caring for me and this body huh..? Good dog Shadic. One day you'll get her..." Tailsica said slowly, trying not to use too much energy.

They heard another slam and they all looked to see Silver, but he looked different, almost glowing.

"Do you really think that trite cares for you?!" A voice said, they looked and saw Mephiles.

"I don't… Care… She's my friend…!" Silver growled, he looked over and saw Shadic with Tailsica and Sarah and directed his words to Tailsica.

"She can't handle much more of this. Please stop."

Tailsica seemed to hesitate a moment before her eyes turned blue and she passed out.

Shadic seemed frozen in pure shock, he didn't even notice when black flames slid by him.

Riku appeared next to Mephiles, a dark chuckle escaping his form.

Shadic instantly seemed to snap out of it and he turned his gaze to Sarah, she read in his eyes that she needed to help Silver. She aimed her bow and arrow at Riku and fired, but the arrow went right through.

"Impossible!" Sarah gasped.

Riku let out a dark chuckle and dived into Silver's body, causing Silver to stop glowing and scream in pain. He glanced over to Shadic and Sarah.

"GET...OUT!"

Shadic stood there, frozen in pure fear.

"Witness as your ally disappears before your eyes!" Mephiles said gleefully.

Shadic stared in shock, for a wild moment he thought that the curse he had put on Silver was happening then and there, but then he saw Silver start to glow.

"I... WON'T… GIVE UP!" Silver screamed as his fur turned a golden color and his eyes turned red. Riku let out a scream of pain as he was pushed out of Silver's body.

"S-Silver?!" Sarah exclaimed.

Silver looked to Sarah, "You should go on ahead, Shadic, get T to the camp. I'll deal with this."

Sarah picked up Tailsica quickly, putting the unconscious girl on Shadic's back, "Come back as soon as you're sure she's safe. We'll need you after the final phase of the plan."

Shadic nodded and hurried, careful not to drop his friend as he went. Sarah waved at Silver, and quickly left.

"Oh you sent your friends away? How gutless."

"How is that gutless?!" Silver growled

"Because...suicide is the coward's way out."

"Grr…! SHUT UP ALREADY!"

"You will die this way Silver the hedgehog…. And It will be slow and painful…"

"You're wrong. I didn't get it before, but I do now. It's how Shadow cares for this place and his friends. I didn't want to get attached cause I thought I would lose someone again. But I was wrong."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"..."

"...Wait a minute. Oh how rich! You've fallen in love with her! You fool! You know that I will kill her, just like I killed all your other dumb friends!" Mephiles laughed.

"No you won't! I won't let you hurt them! Not this time!"

"Oh? Are you going to try to stop me Silver? Because trust me...that is NOT a good idea."

"Mephiles...you were right that I've failed...you were right that Shadz will never truly be on our side...you were right that King Sonic can't handle this...this hellscape of war..."

"Hmm?"

"But...you were wrong when you said you would kill her, hurt them, or even erase this world. That won't happen. Because...I won't allow it!"

"You are nothing in the face of my power, I am a GOD!"

"Then quit yackin' and prove it to me!"

Mephiles growled, shooting a beam of dark power at Silver.

Silver smirked, "Hmph. This is gonna be a long day for you..."

Elizabeth and Miranda just quietly chatted, trying hard to ignore the unbareable sounds and screams of the fight.

"So what do you think about Miss Cream?" Miranda asked.

"Well...she's actually really nice once you get to know her! She told me about what her life was like before all this."

"Oh really? What was it like?"

"She had this pet creature, called a 'chao?' And she used to garden and make flower crowns with her friends."

"That sounds lovely."

"Mmhm."

Suddenly, their heads glanced towards the entrance. At first, they had feared a Rauncher or Raccat had found them.

They calmed quickly when they saw it was only Shadic. However, their shock returned when they noticed Tailsica unconcious. "What happened?" Miranda asked gently.

Shadic gently lowered the girl to the soft ground and grunted. He glanced at the medical tent, and then ran off. Elizabeth seemed to understand and began dragging Tailsica into the tent.

Miranda helped shortly after, figuring out what Shadic was asking of them.

Elizabeth watched as Miranda began patching up her wounds, and stared out into the distance, "...I believe in you...grandpa...everyone..."

-

"UGH!" Shadow grunted, as he hit the wall.

He growled and looked up, into the eyes of the madman behind all the years of torment, who had beaten him, tried countlessly to kill his friends, and whom had hurt the one he loved above all others.

"Give it up rat, you're no match for me."

"That's...where you're wrong...I just...didn't know it before..."

"What?"

"It's what's been keeping me...from dropping dead here really...aside from my...my..."

"Your true origin of vampiric power..."

"No...not a vampire...a demon...but...I'm not fighting for her...I'm...I'm fighting for him..."

"How pathetic. Fighting for the affection of one who cannot love you is a fate far worse than death indeed."

"That's...okay...wouldn't work out...with what's happened...recently...but even after all his stupidity, harming others even if not under his own will...I love him..."

"Shame that he will never know any of that," HellFrame said, stretching out an index finger as black energy formed.

Shadow growled, weakly trying to remove one of the rings around his wrist. Finally he got it loose, and without warning blasted a counter-active beam of energy, blasting HellFrame away.

He got up slowly, and removed the other ring with haste, "I'm not done with you...you...bastard...!"

HellFrame coughed, noticing blood as he did. He growled, "Damn...guess that old timer wasn't kidding...you ARE the ultimate lifeform..."

"No...that title belongs to someone else...I am Shadow. Shadow Avarcus Priddin, and with Aleena as my witness, you will be slain."

-

Silver cast a counter acting beam after Mephiles had stopped firing, catching the demon by surprise. He growled, "Why you...!"

"Save your breath, Mephiles. It'll save you from anymore humiliation today."

"You feckulant scum...! I'll kill you!"

"Wrong. It's YOU who will die today."

Without warning, he once again blasted a beam of energy at Mephiles, knocking him into a wall. Mephiles growled, pulling himself free from the debrie and began preparing another attack.

Silver scowled, "I don't think so Mephiles..."

Silently, he put two fingers on his forehead, seeming to be focusing on something. Just before Mephiles fired, he could just faintly hear Silver say, "Chaos..."

Once Mephiles fired, he noticed the ball of black energy stop, and he heard Silver cry out, "CONTROL!"

Like that, the attack altogether was gone in a flash of light.

"What?! Impossible! How did you harness the power of chaos control?!"

Silver huffed, "Damn...it takes a lot outta ya...how does Shadz do it...?!"

He shook his head, and stood up, "Give up now Mephiles, and maybe I won't kill you."

Mephiles growled, "NEVER!"

Silver smirked as Mephiles began forming another ball of black energy, "Heh...I was kinda hoping you would say that."

Slowly, Silver gathered his own energy to charge another beam to counter-act against Mephiles's attack. As he did so, he thought of everything that had been lost as a result of Mephiles's selfish desires.

Then he thought of Tailsica, and sudddenly the power in the charge increased.

"Chaos..." Silver started.

"Chaos...!" Mephiles repeated.

"CANNON!"

"INFERNO!"

The two attacks clashed, and both tensed as it seemed their power was matched.

Silver...

Silver's ears flicked up, "...Blaze...!"

Don't give up...we believe in you...

"...I won't...I can't...I have to protect her...and I won't let him hurt anyone else..."

Suddenly, something inside Silver snapped, and he cried out, "HE WILL BURN IN HELL FOR DARING TO LAY A FINGER ON MY FRIENDS!"

The power in his blast overpowered both Mephiles and his attack, and he began losing power. Soon he returned to his normal form, and began burning alive from the amount of light energy.

Silver scowled, "I get it now...it's not our power that makes us strong...it's what we fight for, and what we have to gain from stopping evils like you..."

Mephiles, even though he was suffering, chuckled, "You are a fool...you cannot erase evil...peace cannont reign forever..."

"Maybe you're right...but I will hold onto it for as long as I can...for my friends's sakes...for her sake...see you in hell, Mephiles..."

Light engulfed the room as Mephiles was eviserated by the blast. Once it had faded, he was not even dust, just nothing. Silver slowly lowered himself to the ground, and fell onto his hands and knees as his fur and eyes returned to normal.

"Ha...ha ha...it's...it's finally over...he's gone..." Silver groaned, still in pain from his wounds.

"Damn...he messed me up real bad...I should leave the rest to them...I gotta make sure she's okay..."

-

Tailsica stirred, groaning. She couldn't remember anything after watching the battlefield. But she was in so much pain it didn't matter. She looked up, seeing a blur of white and a bit of amber until it cleared up. It was Silver.

She gasped, and tried to sit up, but flinched from the massive pain. Silver quickly made her lay back down, "You're still hurt...just stay still. I disposed of Mephiles, but Iblis escaped my grasp. Your friends are still fighting, but I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

Tailsica giggled, "I-I'm fine...really...I've spaced out before..."

"Heh...yeah right...you're covered in blood..."

"I-It's nothing..."

Silver suddenly frowned and blushed, "L-Listen...about the other night...I-I-"

"It's okay Silver..."

"Huh?"

"I didn't mind..."

Silver smiled, but looked down frowning anyways.

"Hey..."

His ears flicked up, and he looked up at her.

"Don't look so glum. It doesn't suit you," she said, before booping his nose.

He blushed even more, and she just giggled. Silver smiled again, "You know, you never told me your real name."

"It's Tailsica."

"That's a beautiful name...I've heard in Fox clan language it means 'gentle butterfly.'"

She blushed as he took ahold of her hand. She smiled at him, "Thanks for coming back..."

"I'd never leave you behind."

Slowly, despite the pain, she sat up once more and pulled him into a hug. He blushed, hugging her back gently.

She nuzzled the fur on his chest, and fell asleep. He smiled and kissed her on the head, laying her back down, "Sweet dreams T..."

-

HellFrame coughed up another puddle of blood, and growled, "Fuckin' brat...just kill me already..."

Shadow spit in his face, and removed his other ring, "With pleasure..."

As he removed the ring, it revealed some sort of gadget underneath. He flipped open the lid, "Come in, Shadic, Andy, anyone that might still be in the castle. Evacuate now. I repeat, evacuate! I am commencing the final phase!"

With that, he slammed the lid shut, and turned to HellFrame, "I'm comin' home...Terrisa..."

HellFrame sat in silence, as Shadow began glowing with red energy, "Vampire..."

"BLAST!"

-

Sam was sleeping beside his master, when his ears flicked up. He saw a large beam of light over the trees, and nudged his master till he awoke.

Talon groaned, "Sam...what the hell are you-"

When he saw the blast, he knew well who it was, "Oh no...leave the supplies! We have to get there right now!"

Sam nodded and ran ahead, as his master followed.

"No no no no no no no...!" Talon grumbled, hoping it wasn't too late.

-

Everyone outside the castle stared in horror and awe as a red light spewed out of the castle and began to engulf it. Andy gasped, "EVERYONE! GET BACK!"

The blast had sent most of them flying by the time they could run away, and everyone laid still, waiting as the light from the blast faded.

The first one to rise was Sarah, noticing the mist and dust that covered the area. But she could clearly see debrie, what used to be HellFrame's castle was nothing more than ruins now.

Steadily, she moved over to her father, and shook him awake, "D-Daddy...get up...we have to..."

Andy's ears flicked up and he sat up, "Ooogh...where's Shadic...?"

"I donno, I haven't seen him yet."

"Shadic...? Shadic...?!"

"Calm down Andy...I'm fine...!"

They turned their heads as he got up from under some of the debrie, "I'm just so damn tired...that form takes a lot outta ya after so many years of not using it."

After a few minutes, they were able to gather everyone else that wasn't already killed in battle. Andy suddenly realised something, "W-Wait...where's Shadow...? Did he...did he make it...?!"

Shadic seemed mortified when he heard that, "Oh no...Sh-Shadow?! Shadow?!"

Sarah seemed on the brink of tears, "Oh no..."

But a groan emerged from one of the bigger piles of debrie. Without hesitation, Shadic hurried over to the noise and began digging out the source. He gasped and almost cried with relief and joy when he saw Shadow.

Shadow coughed up some blood, "Fuck...that really drained me...I feel like shit..."

Slowly, Shadic managed to pull him out, "Sh-Shad-"

"Shut up idiot...I...I'm not gonna make it..."

"Wh-What? What're you talking about...?!"

"My inhbitor rings...were...d-destroyed in the blast...that blast drained me of everything I had...I'm dying...Alex..."

His ears flicked up, and shook his head as tears formed in his eyes, "No...no no no...! It can't end like this...! This isn't fair...!"

The others just watched, trying not to let their emotions get the better of them.

"Life ain't fair now is it...I mean look at me...I couldn't get you no matter how hard I tried..."

"...You have me now..."

Shadow's ears flicked up, "...You can't return my feelings it's not possible...not now...not ever..."

"Shadow...I...I'm sorry I didn't-"

"DON'T...don't...don't you dare apologise...this isn't your fault...it's mine..."

"Wh-What're you talking about?! I-I'm the one that bit you, I-"

"You bit me because you were defending your father...that's my fault for attacking him..."

"Sh-Shadow..."

"Can you...forgive me for all this...?"

"...I-I...I do...I always did..."

Shadow smiled, "...idiot...but...I always loved that the most about you..."

"N-Nu...?"

His ears flicked up and his eyes widened at the familiar voice, "...no..."

Shadic looked up, sure enough, there stood Talon and his guardian Sam.

Gently, and shaking, Talon went to the two and kneeled down to him, "No...you can't do this..."

"I'm sorry Talon...my son...I hope you can forgive me for leaving you like this..."

Talon hugged his father tightly, tears running down his cheeks, "No! No I won't! I won't! You can't leave me like this!"

Shadow weakly returned the gesture, "Shh...it's okay Talon...just know...I've always been proud of you..."

"Nu...please..."

"I love you...son..."

"I love you too dad...I love you too..."

"Alex...?"

Shadic's ears flicked up, "Wh-What is it...?"

"...Take care of her...and fix your mistake..."

Shadic's ears flattened, "...Y-Yes...of course..."

Eventually, Shadow went limp. Talon gasped, "N-Nu...? Nu...?! NU!"

Everyone hung their heads in sadness, the fallen warrior had done so much for them over thousands of years, and now he was gone.

Shadic stood up, "...We have lost many loved ones today, but let me assure you...it was not in vain. Today, we've achieved something great with such sacrafices. We've claimed back our home. Our kingdom."

Everyone looked up still seeming unsure, "And from here on out...we will stand tall against all and any enemies that threaten to destroy our freedom! Because today...we have won!"

The crowd cheered, the remorse covered by joy.

-

Silver sat up, waking from his slumber. He noticed a beam of light from far off in the distance as he looked out the entrance of the camp through the flap of Tailsica's tent.

"Whao!"

Suddenly he tensed, as he could sense a powerful energy, "...They found them..."

He glanced back at his sleeping mate, and sighed, "I'll try to get back to you, but I can't promise anything..."

With haste, he rushed out, leaving Miranda and Elizabeth in confusion.

-

Sonic and Shadz waited impatiently as the chaos emeralds were carefully placed on the ground. They looked up when Silver flew down to them.

"About damn time," Shadz spat.

Silver didn't acknownledge him, "Whatever. Do you have them?"

Sonic nodded, "Shadow located Iblis with his sensory power. You ready?"

"You kidding? Let's put this bastard back in hell where he belongs!"

The three put their hands out, as the emeralds glowed brightly. One by one, they glowed, and their fur began to change color.

Sonic and Silver opened their eyes, now red and full of determination. Slowly, the emeralds themselves turned gray, and began to crack. Finally, after absorbing all their power, they broke.

The three hedgehogs flew up. Shadz averted his eyes until he finally pointed, "By the lake, it's headed for the castle!"

"The castle?! We have to stop it!"

"Sonic! Go warn the others! We'll hold him off!"

Sonic nodded, "Right!"

Silver watched as he flew off towards the castle, or at least...what was left of it anyways.

-

Tailsica woke up, but was surprised to see Silver gone. She got up, and peeked out her tent, despite her wounds, "L-Lizzy...? Miranda...?"

"Miss Tailsica!" Elizabeth cried as she ran over to her, "What're you doing?! You need to rest!"

"S-Silver...where...where did he-"

"We don't know, he just up and left a while ago! You need to stay here and heal!"

"But I wanna help!"

Miranda piped up, "I know you wanna help, and we do too, but you need to stay here Miss Tailsica. It's not safe."

Tailsica sighed, and gave in, "Alright..."

Elizabeth smiled, "I hope he finds what he's looking for out there."

"Me too..."

-

The crowd's cheering had long stopped as they prepared to gather the bodies for burial and head back to camp to gather those left behind.

Shadic looked up, seeing a light out of the corner of his eye, and saw a yellow glowing figure headed towards them. He was about to order Sarah to shoot it, until he noticed it was only Sonic.

However, he looked different, he was yellow and his eyes were red instead of green, "King Sonic! What's going on?"

"You have to get back to your camp now! Iblis is still on the the loose!"

"Wh-What?!"

"It's best you guys sit this one out! We've gotta handle this one on our own!"

Shadic hesitated before nodding, "Alright...you heard the man! Hurry up!"

Without further question everyone hurried towards the camp sight.

Shadic turned to thank Sonic, but found he was already gone. He sighed, "This is gonna be a long day..."

-

Tailsica stared worriedly, but her ears flicked up when she saw a hooded figure walk in. Miranda herself noticed this, "Um...who's there...?"

The figure lowered their hood, it was Paula. Miranda gasped, "The queen! Is it truly you...?!"

"Miranda...! Y-Yes child it's me...I apologise for being gone for so very long..."

"No no, don't be sorry. We've been okay your highness."

"Good, good."

Elizabeth stared from her tent, "Miss Miranda...who's that...?"

Paula looked up, instantly recognising the girl, "By the stars above...is that...is that you my child...?"

"Who're you...?"

"I am Queen Paulina Margona Ligginheath The Second, I am...I am your mother..."

"...M-My...mom...?"

Paula nodded. Elizabeth stared unbelieving at first, then, suddenly, she grinned and ran up to her mother, "MOMMY!"

Paula caught her child in a sudden hug, and smiled, laughing, "Oh Lizzy my child! How I've missed you!"

Miranda smiled as well as Tailsica. It was a touching sight to see. However the moment was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Princess...?"

Paula turned around, seeing Shadic as well as the rest of the camp behind him, "...Papi..."

Shadic walked up to his daughter, his hands shaking, "It's...it's really you..."

Paula nodded, "I...I had to stay hidden...he wanted the power in my necklace...it would have ensured we never win had he gotten ahold of it."

Gently, she put her child down, and pulled Shadic into a hug, "I was so scared...they...they killed him papi..."

Shadic's eyes widened, and he hugged his daughter back tightly, "Oh princess...I'm sorry...it's all over now...at least...it will be soon."

She let go of him, a confused look on her face, "What do you mean?"

"LOOK OUT!"

The survivors screamed and scattered into the camp in a panic. Tailsica ran out of her tent and looked outside, "Oh my god!

Silver, Sonic, and Shadz were all holding a monstrous creature that appeared to be made for fire back. Tailsica stared in fear, "Shadow...?"

Shadz looked back at her, "...It's her..."

Suddenly, Iblis pushed against them harder, noticing Shadz distracted. However, he kept him away from the camp, "GET BACK!"

The survivors didn't question that order, including Tailsica and they all fled into their tents.

"Chaos...CANNON!"

With a sudden burst of energy Shadz managed to blast the beast back from the camp. He growled, taking off his inhibitor rings, "Sonic! Silver! Now!"

"Right!"

The three held their hands out, and in unison they cried, "Chaos...BLAST!"

A bright light engulfed the skies and soon the camp itself. Everyone soon found themselves unconcious, though not sure they would ever awake again.

-

Tailsica opened her eyes, and turned to see Silver. She felt strange, until she looked down and realised she was floating, "What's going on...? Where are we...?"

Silver tensed, "We're moving through time...into...the past..."

"But...why...?"

A bright ball of light suddenly shown, "It's...Iblis...? N-No...Solaris..."

They flinched as the light engulfed them.

-

"Look, Elise. This is Solaris, the flame of hope."

"It's so beautiful...!"

"When the flame has grown large enough, our world will change. Solaris will allow us to control time and move through history. People will be able to recitfy past mistakes, and avoid bitter fate."

"Will we be able to see momma?"

"...Yes, Elise. We'll both be able to see your mother once again."

-

Shadic awoke, noticing he was in a building of some sort. However, the only light was a tiny flame embedded in the wall. He got up, noticing others as well. Paula, Violet, Elizabeth, Tailsica, Silver, Sonic, Shadz, Andy, Sarah, Fiyo...

"Where are we...? What happened...?" Elizabeth groaned.

Silver stared at the small flame intently, "In the past. That flame...it's Iblis. Or at least, WAS Iblis."

Tailsica raised a brow in confusion, "I don't get it...why...? Why're we here...?"

Silver gently took the flame from out of the wall, and held it with his powers, "...Mephiles is the cause of all this devastation. But...he only exists because of Iblis. This past...is not your world's, it's mine..."

Violet chimed in, "So...we are on Mobious...?"

"Soleanna to be exact. There was an accident, involving Iblis growing out of control. The king sealed Iblis into the Princess, Elise. Mephiles was a product of Iblis's rampage. Mephiles had killed Sonic, and the Princess's tears released Iblis."

Everyone sat and listened in silence.

"We brought him back, but we failed to kill either Iblis or Mephiles. Mephiles began creating creatures of darkness, and placing them in your world. Why yours...? I'm not sure. He's the reason HellFrame existed."

"So you're saying...if we erase him now...none of this will have happened?" Shadic asked.

Silver nodded, "No one would have died, Shadow wouldn't even be in your world really...but some of you will not exist. Hell, Sonic, Shadz, and I? We will never meet you. Any of you."

Paula stood, "...Even if I do not exist...do not experience breath and life...I will do this so that no subject will ever have to suffer."

Elizabeth piped up as well, "I want to help everyone too!"

Sarah smiled, "...I guess...this is what we've been looking for right...? Peace...? A way to keep everyone from suffering...?"

Andy smiled as did Fiyo, "Yeah, I guess that is what we wanted isn't it...? Let's do it then."

Shadz crossed his arms, "It's up to you Silver..."

"I'm with you all the way Silvs!" Sonic said, giving him a thumbs up.

Violet just simply nodded.

"Silver...?"

Silver's ears flicked up and he turned to the voice. His eyes met with his mate, and they grew saddened. She was crying. He walked up to her, "Tailsica..."

"This...this isn't fair...! I wanna stay with you...! I can't lose you too...!"

Silver gently wiped her tears away, and smiled, "You won't lose me...I promise no matter what...I'll find you."

Tailsica blushed, "Silver..."

"We'll do it together okay...?"

Tailsica nodded, and sniffled. Though they both hesitated for a moment, they blew out the flame, and the room went completely black.

-

Shadic laughed and blushed as he walked down the path, his hand intertwined with Tailsica's. The kids up ahead just a few meters playing a bit as they walked.

"You know, you really are a goofball Alex!"

"Yeah I know...!"

"Oi! Devin! Slow down!" Mercedes shouted, as she tackled Devin down and gave him a noogie.

Tailsica huffed, "Hey! Play nice!"

Shadic just chuckled, "You're so cute when you're mad."

Her face went red, "Wha- am not!"

"Are tooo~!"

She pouted, looking away from him, "Aw c'mon hun! I was just playin' with ya!"

She smirked, "Lucky for you, you're also really cute."

Without warning, she pulled him into a kiss, ignoring the groaning of the disgusted kids.

Unknown to the family, a certain hedgehog was sitting on a ledge above them, watching. He smiled, and flew off, never to be seen again.


End file.
